It has been a busy few weeks for Democrats in the United States.
Less than a month ago, incumbent Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race amid concerns about his age and ability to defeat his Republican challenger and predecessor Donald Trump.
Since then, Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, riding a wave of support from wide segments of the party base and members of Congress.
Harris’s selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her vice-presidential running mate also galvanised Democrats and spurred tens of millions of dollars in new donations, according to her campaign.
Now, the party is set to gather in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, a tradition during presidential election years. Democrats hope the convention will serve as a strong show of unity, as party members coalesce behind the Harris-Walz ticket less than three months before Election Day.
But what exactly does the convention have in store this year? Here’s what you need to know.
What is the Democratic National Convention exactly?
Held every four years, the Democratic National Convention is a gathering to formally select the party’s nominees for president and vice president.
Democrats also vote on the party’s platform and other procedures, but the convention really serves as a way to drum up enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket.
This year’s convention will begin on August 19 and run until August 22 in Chicago, Illinois.
Haven’t Harris and Walz already been confirmed as the 2024 candidates?
Yes — but things are different this year.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on August 6 that Harris and Walz had been formally certified as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, respectively.
That’s because Democrats held a virtual roll-call vote earlier this month.
During that roll call, Harris earned the support of a majority of Democratic delegates — people who typically cast votes for the presidential nominee at the convention based on primary and caucus results.
Normally, the official roll-call vote happens at the convention. But this year, the party opted for a virtual roll call beforehand, because Democrats had raised concerns Harris could be left off ballots in Ohio due to a procedural issue.
So is a roll-call vote going to happen at the convention?
According to the Democratic National Committee, yes.
But the committee says the vote will be “ceremonial” since Harris and Walz have already been confirmed.
Convention Chair Minyon Moore said on August 6 that Democratic delegates “will celebrate this historic ticket with a ceremonial roll call and tell the story of Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, and the Democratic Party as we prepare to defeat Donald Trump once again”.
Trump was officially confirmed as the Republican Party’s candidate at the Republican National Convention in July. His running mate, US Senator JD Vance, was also named and confirmed at the convention last month.
It’s official! I just signed the paperwork to certify Vice President @KamalaHarris for the ballot as our Democratic Party nominee for president.
Let’s make history this November! pic.twitter.com/Isymkud833
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) August 6, 2024
What else is on the schedule and who will be attending?
Alongside the Democratic delegates and other party members, Democratic lawmakers are expected to take part in the four-day convention.
While a full schedule of speakers has not yet been released, US media have reported that Biden, who endorsed Harris after he withdrew from the race late last month, will be the keynote speaker on the first night of the convention on August 19.
Harris and Walz are also expected to deliver speeches. The vice presidential candidate will address the crowd on August 21, and the presidential candidate will close out the event on August 22.
Organisers estimate that about 50,000 people will descend on Chicago for the event.
Is there anything else to expect?
While Democrats have largely coalesced around Harris since she launched her push for the White House last month, she continues to face calls to break with the Biden administration’s policies on Israel and the Gaza war.
As a result, Harris is expected to face large demonstrations on the sidelines of the convention, as protesters demand an end to the war and unconditional US support for Israel.
For months, protesters have demanded that Washington stop sending weapons to Israel as it bombards the coastal Palestinian enclave. The Israeli war has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and set off a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Coalition to March on the DNC, a coalition of activist groups, has planned marches on August 19 and August 22. “Democratic Party leadership switching out their presidential nominee does not wash the blood of over 50,000 Palestinians off their hands,” it says on its website.
“Biden’s entire administration, together with high ranking members of the Democratic Party from all over the country, has spent the last ten months wholeheartedly supporting the genocide in Gaza with our tax dollars,” the coalition said.
“It is a matter of historical urgency that all organizations who fight for the rights of working and oppressed people in the US join us in this demonstration to stand in solidarity with Palestine.”
Chicago is home to one of the country’s largest Palestinian American communities, and many locals are expected to take part in the marches.
Have there been protests at other conventions before?
Absolutely.
Outside of last month’s Republican National Convention, demonstrators took to the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to denounce Trump and his Republican Party for their stance on abortion, the Gaza war and other issues.
But arguably the most well-known convention protest happened at the Democratic National Convention in 1968, also in Chicago.
Demonstrators rallying for an end to the Vietnam War tried to march on the convention site but met a harsh crackdown by thousands of police, National Guard and other law enforcement officers.
The violence sowed chaos within the Democratic Party before that year’s election, which was ultimately won by Republican Richard Nixon.
