“Comrade Harris has proposed Soviet-like price controls”. The drastically formulated fundraising emails from Donald Trump's campaign are pouring in. There is no doubt that the Republican wants to portray his opponent as an “extreme left-wing liberal” and soft on issues related to crime, immigration, and economy.
The Democrats' four-day meeting, which starts on Monday in Chicago, is Harris' big chance to respond. It is now that she will present herself and her vision to the Americans.
No Press Conference
Only a month has passed since President Joe Biden's dramatic announcement that he will not run for re-election and instead backs his vice president. During that time, Harris has restored enthusiasm in the party. She has held massive campaign meetings, collected record sums, and largely caught up with Donald Trump's lead in opinion polls.
It has been described as a honeymoon. But it doesn't mean that challenges are lacking.
The former prosecutor Harris is being criticized for not having given a longer interview or held a press conference since she took over the baton. And her appearances have been “policy light”, meaning they haven't contained much substance. Add to that the enormous protests planned in Chicago, mainly against the White House's support for Israel in the light of the Gaza war. Sooner or later, Kamala Harris must give an answer about whether she plans a course change or not.
The demonstrations will, however, not be noticed inside the blue-glittering giant arena United Center. The Hollywood-directed party meeting is intended to breathe unity and a sense of the future, with rumors that artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift may appear. The event is well adapted to the TV channels' best broadcasting times, all to drum up enthusiasm ahead of the election campaign.
“The electricity in the room will be strengthened by the millions of Americans watching and participating across the country,” says the meeting's chairperson Minyon Moor in a press release.
Will Accept
On Monday evening, Joe Biden will hold his big speech, and then former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will also take the stage. On Tuesday, the scene is Barack Obama's, and on Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton will warm up for vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. During the meeting, former President Jimmy Carter's grandson Jason Carter is also expected to speak for the 99-year-old, who is receiving palliative care at home.
On Thursday, it's time. Then Kamala Harris will formally accept the party's nomination as presidential candidate and present herself and her policy.
Then the real election campaign begins.
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Corrected: In an earlier version of this text, Tim Walz was given the wrong title.
59-year-old Kamala Harris has been Joe Biden's vice president since January 2021. The two have a close working relationship, and Biden has backed Harris as the Democrats' next presidential candidate.
Harris' father is from Jamaica, and her mother is from India, but she was born in Oakland, northern California. After living in Canada and studying at Howard University in Washington DC, she returned to her home state to work as a lawyer and prosecutor. In 2004, she became the district attorney in San Francisco.
In 2011, she was appointed California's highest legal office (attorney general), a post she held until she was elected to the US Senate in 2016. Then she became the second black woman in the chamber.
Harris ran her own presidential campaign in 2019, before throwing in the towel and backing Joe Biden.
Formally founded: 1828
Symbol: Donkey
Has historically been strong among craftsmen and workers in cities, farmers in the west and south, as well as ethnic minorities. Has also had significant support among liberal academics. Support from the south has decreased, and now the party is strongest in the populous states along the US west and east coasts.
Has, compared to the Republicans, greater trust in the state to create welfare and build systems for education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Democratic presidents since 1950:
Harry S Truman 1945–53
John F Kennedy 1961–63
Lyndon B Johnson 1963–69
Jimmy Carter 1977–81
Bill Clinton 1993–2001
Barack Obama 2009–2017
Joe Biden 2021–2025
