Democrats look to build on Kamala Harris’s momentum at national convention

WASHINGTON — A reinvigorated Democratic party is gathering in Chicago for its national convention looking to build on the momentum of recent weeks after U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris moved to the top of the ticket for the November presidential election.

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are set to officially accept the party’s nomination during the four-day event. It will serve as an opportunity for the vice-president to redefine herself as a leader and lay out a vision for the future of America after a tumultuous few months for the party.

Nobody can say they could have predicted this election campaign, said Anthony Fowler, a professor in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

President Joe Biden is expected to give a speech Monday night in a moment that could ring bittersweet. Just over a month ago it was all but certain he would be on stage to accept the nomination.

Biden stepped aside in July, offering Harris his endorsement, amid concerns about his age and mental acuity. Biden had lost support of his party, with colleagues worried there was no longer a path to victory after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump and an uneven performance at the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington, D.C.

Biden’s speech will serve as a figurative passing of the baton and the president is not expected to stay at the convention. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is expected to talk about the administration’s record and what’s at stake in the election.

“He’s looking forward to, as he tends to do, speak directly to the American people: talk about the moment that we’re at, what’s at stake, and continue to talk about an issue that is incredibly important to him, which is unity,” Jean-Pierre said last week.

Other big names that are expected to be speakers are include former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Marc Trussler said it’s unlikely there will be details about how or if Harris would handle foreign policy or trade differently than Biden.

Trussler, the director of data science for the university’s program on opinion research and election studies, said those are not issues that will build excitement or unity among the party faithful.

Experts have said it’s likely Harris will follow Biden’s road map for America’s relationship with Canada. Biden’s tenure brought some stability, but there was also tension over the administration’s Buy American procurement rules.

Democrats hope the convention will shore up support, building on the invigorated energy after the party unified behind Harris as the presidential candidate. Recent polling is starting to tip in favour of the Democrats in key battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Fowler cautioned that polling bumps from conventions are rarely sustained and Harris will have to work to sell herself to Americans at large.

Just over a month ago, Trump was heralded as a hero after an assassination attempt the weekend before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Republicans, at the time, were riding high in the polls.

But observers say Trump has been stumbling to respond to his new opponent, testing out a slew of nicknames and insults, and Democrats have since made up some ground.

Fowler said Trump may be able to slow that popularity growth if he’s able to focus on Harris’s governing history — which has been criticized as being too liberal — and the Biden administration’s record.

Democratic voters will be looking to hear more details of a governing plan, new policy ideas and something meaningful on key issues like inflation and the border this week.

“Over the course of the campaign, voters are going to be looking to Harris and Walz to see what are the plans on some of these important issues,” Fowler said.

Trussler said there will be lots of excitement from the most ardent party members at the convention. Whether Democrats can maintain the broader public’s attention and enthusiasm until November is yet to be seen.

“You need those people to actually turn out and vote,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2024.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press