This story was written by Teen Vogue's 2024 Student Correspondents, a team of college students and recent graduates covering the election cycle from key battleground states.
Since President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race several weeks ago, staffers have been working overtime to adjust plans for the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC), which is being held in Chicago from August 19-22.
Vice President Kamala Harris is now the official Democratic presidential nominee after receiving the vast majority of delegate votes in a virtual roll call on Monday, August 5, according to the Democratic National Committee.
Despite the change in nominee, thousands of protesters from across the country are still planning to show up in Chicago. The March on the DNC is moving forward, built on a set of demands, the main one being, according to the group's website, to “stand with Palestine" and "end US aid to Israel.”
The Democratic National Convention is expecting 50,000 visitors, and March on the DNC organizers say they’re expecting 20,000 to 25,000 protesters, tens of thousands more than the March on the RNC in Milwaukee last month, which had over 3,000 protesters.
What is the Democratic National Convention? Why is it in Chicago?
The Democratic National Convention (and the Republican National Convention, or RNC) happens every four years in the lead-up to a presidential election. Delegates from all 50 states, as well as overseas territories, will gather this year in Chicago to “rally” around Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Democrats aim to tell their “story” to the American people as they “come together to energize, organize, and mobilize to win,” according to the DNC website. The convention will feature speakers, presentations, performances, and more, though a specific schedule has not been released yet.
Elected officials in Illinois worked alongside one another to bring the 2024 DNC to Chicago. Senator Tammy Duckworth told NBC that Chicago’s "union labor advantage, hotel capacity,” and size are all factors that made the city an ideal location. And Illinois is part of the “blue wall” of Midwestern states that have historically formed a Democratic stronghold, helping the party win the presidential election most recently in 2020.
Who is scheduled to speak at the 2024 DNC? How have plans changed since Biden dropped out?
The Democratic National Convention Committee has released a list of confirmed official speakers and programming details.
Since Harris and Biden have switched roles, the president will deliver a speech on Monday, August 19, the DNC's opening night, according to CNN. Biden's speech will focus on his legacy and achievements as president, before turning the attention to Vice President Harris. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Dr. Jill Biden, former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will also make remarks on Monday night.
Tuesday will see speeches from both Michelle and Barack Obama, as well as second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who will highlight the possibility of becoming the first first gentleman.
On Wednesday night, Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, will deliver his acceptance speech. Former president Bill Clinton, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are also slated to give remarks, per Axios. Harris will close out the convention on Thursday, which follows tradition for presidential nominees.
CNN reported that the convention will also feature four celebrity hosts: Scandal actors Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn, actor and director Mindy Kaling, and former Republican strategist turned The View co-host Ana Navarro.
The revamped convention aims to capitalize on new energy brought to the race by Harris’s campaign. In just a few weeks, her campaign has made the vice president an internet sensation, caught the attention of youth voters, and raised tens of millions of dollars. The event will now be held mostly live to capture the high-energy crowds Harris can draw in, as opposed to initial plans to rely more heavily on pre-taped pieces, per the Chicago Sun-Times.
Organizers are also leaning heavily into social media, building the "first ever creator platform” on the convention floor from which the 250 invited influencers can shoot and share content. Five young online influencers, including Deja Foxx and Olivia Julianna, will also get speaking slots at the convention, according to The New York Times.
Harris is now the official Democratic presidential nominee, but she did not automatically get the votes of delegates who had been previously committed to Biden — although Biden did endorse Harris after he withdrew. Harris did, however, inherit Biden’s campaign money, and Biden’s presidential campaign has been renamed “Harris for President.”
At the end of June, the campaign reported having more than $95 million. Throughout July, Harris for President brought in $310 million, more than double what her opponent, Republican nominee Donald Trump, raised during the same time period, according to CBS News.
Who is protesting at the DNC, and what are their demands?
The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the US Palestinian Community Network, and Black Lives Matter Chicago are a few of the organizations working together to form the Coalition to March on the DNC. Many of the same groups that took to Milwaukee streets in July to protest the RNC are also going to Chicago.
This year, the March on the DNC is a “March for Palestine,” organizers say. The main demand of protesters is that the Democratic Party stop sending US military aid to Israel amid the ongoing devastation of Gaza. According to a statement by the coalition, President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race does not change the “policies of Democratic Party leadership, specifically their support of the genocide in Palestine.” The March on the DNC will continue regardless of the nominee. “They are all complicit,” the statement reads. “We plan to have the largest march for Palestinian rights in Chicago’s history.”
Additional demands include using money to fund the needs of people instead of war; defending the rights of immigrants, LGBTQIA+ people, workers, and women; and establishing community control of the police.
The March on the DNC is currently in a legal battle with the City of Chicago to obtain a longer and more visible protest route. Earlier this year, the ACLU of Wisconsin fought on behalf of the March on the RNC against the City of Milwaukee to be “within sight and sound” of the RNC. Days before that event, the Coalition to March on the RNC and the City of Milwaukee came to an agreement.
There has not yet been a verdict concerning the route for the March on the DNC, but Hatem Abudayyeh of the US Palestinian Community Network told NBC Chicago, “We are not going to accept 'take it or leave it' again. We are going to fight, and we are going to continue to pressure the City of Chicago to give us this route.”
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