Democrats, protesters gather in Chicago to cheer, challenge Harris and Biden

Harris will formally accept the nomination on Thursday night with a highly anticipated speech

By Reuters

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A protester holds an image of US Vice-President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris as pro-Palestinian protesters in Union Park prepare to march before the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday. AFP

US actor Tony Goldwyn does a stage check before the start of the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday. AFP

Published: Mon 19 Aug 2024, 10:32 PM

Democrats gathered in Chicago on Monday to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign for the White House against Republican Donald Trump and to honor President Joe Biden, whose exit from the race turned his party's fortunes around.

Monday's kickoff of the four-day Democratic National Convention is expected also to draw tens of thousands of protesters, many of them opposed to the Biden administration's support for Israel's Gaza offensive, who will march on a mile-long route through the city outside the security perimeter.

Biden, 81, who reluctantly ended his reelection campaign a month ago under pressure from top Democrats worried that he was too old to win or govern for another four years, is due to speak at 10:50 p.m. Eastern time (0250 Tuesday GMT), to make the case for electing Harris and defeating former President Trump, 78.

As Democrats seek to project a sense of unity after the unprecedented change-up in candidates, Harris, 59, is likely to join Biden on stage, sources said, in a symbolic passing of the torch.

Harris will formally accept the nomination on Thursday night with a highly anticipated speech. If elected on November 5, Harris would make US history as the first female president.

A coalition of some 200 social justice organizations, many from pro-Palestinian groups, will gather outside the convention. Some pro-Palestinian delegates to the convention are pushing for the party to change its platform to limit weapons to Israel.

They may not get their wish. The party is due to vote on Monday on a 92-page policy platform that does not call for an arms embargo against Israel.

Harris is heading into the convention riding a historic whirlwind: her campaign has broken records for fundraising, packed arenas with supporters, and turned opinion polls in some battleground states in Democrats' favor.

One prominent backer, however, cautioned fellow Democrats not to get too optimistic. "Our numbers are much less rosy than what you're seeing in public," said Chauncey McLean, who heads Future Forward, a committee that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to help elect Harris.

Biden abandoned his reelection bid after his disastrous debate against Trump on June 27 prompted longtime allies, major donors and other party supporters to demand he step aside.

Polls a month ago showed Trump with a clear lead over Biden, but Harris has closed the gap both nationally and in many of the highly competitive states, including Pennsylvania, that will play a decisive role in the election.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was a finalist to be Harris' running mate, said she has rattled Trump. "He is scared of Kamala Harris," he told delegates from his state. "He is scared of powerful people. But you know what he's really scared of: powerful women."

Harris went on a bus tour in western Pennsylvania on Sunday with her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. During the tour she suggested Trump was a coward whose politics focused on putting down rivals.

She will be in Chicago for much of the week, but will make a side trip to Milwaukee on Tuesday for a campaign event, returning to Chicago to hear her husband, Doug Emhoff, address the convention that night.

Trump will barnstorm the key battleground states during convention week to try to steal the spotlight away from Harris.

He was due to deliver remarks on economic policy at a small business in southern Pennsylvania on Monday afternoon, before events in North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada later in the week.

Some major allies and donors have been urging Trump to steer clear of racial and gender-based insults of Harris and focus his attacks instead on her policy record.

On Monday, he said he would reduce crime in cities like Chicago. "THIS IS A WAR ZONE, AND WILL BE HANDLED ACCORDINGLY," he wrote on social media.