Democrats roll out prime time convention speakers
Washington — The Democratic National Convention Committee has unveiled its list of primetime speakers for this week's convention, rolling out a lineup that unites the party's progressive wings with the Democratic establishment.
The Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday, August 17, and will feature four nights of speakers who will address supporters remotely from 9 to 11 p.m. Nightly keynote speeches will be given by Michelle Obama on Monday, Jill Biden on Tuesday and Barack Obama on Wednesday. On Thursday, Joe Biden will formally accept his party's presidential nomination with a speech.
The gathering, which has been roiled by the coronavirus crisis, begins Monday and will feature Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who went head-to-head with Biden in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination after the party's vast field of candidates narrowed.
Joining Sanders will be Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who met with Biden in Delaware as part of his search for a running mate, and former presidential hopeful Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Republican John Kasich, the former governor of Ohio who sought the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, is also slated to speak Monday, as is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Tuesday's lineup features former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and former President Bill Clinton.
Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, was initially slated for Thursday, but now, as the vice presidential nominee, will have a prime speaking time on Wednesday. Also appearing Wednesday will be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Closing out the Democratic National Convention with speeches Thursday are a number of Biden's former competitors in the 2020 race, including Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
A number of former vice presidential contenders are sprinkled throughout the speaking lineup rolled out by Democrats, including Whitmer, Warren, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.
The Democratic National Convention was originally to take place in Milwaukee, but the coronavirus pandemic prompted the party to revamp the gathering. The Democrats said last week that all invited speakers will appear remotely from their home states, and Biden will deliver his acceptance speech from his home state of Delaware instead of in Milwaukee.
Here is who is slated to speak each day of the Democratic National Convention:
Monday
In order of appearance
- Congressman Bennie Thompson, convention chair
- Reverend Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition
- Gwen Moore, convention sergeant-at-arms
- Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser
- Performance by singer Leon Bridges
- Congressman James Clyburn
- Governor Andrew Cuomo
- Kristin Urquiza, whose father died from COVID-19
- Sara Gideon, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
- Performance by Maggie Rogers
- Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
- Christine Whitman, Republican former governor of New Jersey
- Meg Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard
- Susan Molinari, Republican former congresswoman
- John Kasich, Republican former governor of Ohio
- Senator Doug Jones
- Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
- Senator Amy Klobuchar
- Former 2020 presidential candidates
- Congressman Cedric Richmond
- Senator Bernie Sanders
- Former first lady Michelle Obama
- Performance by Billy Porter and Stephen Stills
- Reverend Dr. Jerry Young
Tuesday
- Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
- Former Secretary of State John Kerry
- Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Former second lady Jill Biden
Wednesday
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Senator Elizabeth Warren
- Governor Tony Evers
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
- Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
- Senator Kamala Harris
- Former President Barack Obama
Thursday
- Senator Cory Booker
- Governor Gavin Newsom
- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
- Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Senator Tammy Baldwin
- Senator Tammy Duckworth
- Senator Chris Coons
- The Biden family
- Former Vice President Joe Biden