This week, the political world turns to the Windy City — and nearly 500 Californians will be part of the action.
Party conventions used to be rousing affairs that decided the presidential nominee, sometimes with party bosses making deals behind closed doors. after anti-war protests at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago and an ensuing push for a more democratic selection system, the nominee is almost always decided in primaries months earlier.
Conventions today are more about celebrating the nominees — as well as creating some made-for-TV moments and viral social media clips, exciting the party faithful, and, just maybe, swaying some undecided voters.
This year’s convention — which kicks off today and lasts through Thursday — might be somewhat of a mix: While the Democratic Party has rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden bowed to pressure not to run for re-election, a few uncommitted delegates may still need convincing.
Geoffrey Cowan, a communications professor at USC who is credited with reshaping the presidential nomination process after 1968 — “for better or worse,” as he says — expects this convention, like the Republican Party’s in July, will be more of a showcase of the party’s ideas and its future leaders.
For California delegates, the week will include daily breakfasts with speeches by various politicians from around the country, votes on the party’s platform for the next four years and — after a virtual convention in 2020 due to COVID-19 — parties galore.
California sends more delegates to the convention than any other state — 496, a number determined partly by the state’s popular vote in the last three elections.
There are 277 delegates elected by their local party chapters . There are also some automatic delegates based on their positions, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and all 40 of California’s Democratic U.S. House members and its two U.S. senators.
Other household names in Golden State politics are reported to be among those selected by the party : Attorney General Rob Bonta, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Francisco’s London Breed, as well as labor leaders such as Dolores Huerta and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher.
But the party will still have a ceremonial version Tuesday at the United Center. It’s a chance for a top Democrat from each state to brag about how great it is and sometimes take a dig at the Republicans, while declaring how many votes the nominee received. Newsom will speak from the convention floor and deliver the state’s votes to put Harris over the top.
In 2020 when Biden was nominated, Rep. Barbara Lee and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis did the honors . In 2016 when Hillary Clinton won the nomination, then-Gov. Jerry Brown called out the state’s tally , surrounded by other high-ranking Democrats with, right behind him, Harris.
And because Harris is from California, the delegation will get the honor of closing the official roll call and also snag prime seats on the convention floor, right in front of the podium.
Thuy DaoJensen, a delegate from Brentwood in Northern California, said to her, Harris “represents optimism.”
“I’m thrilled and beyond proud to be part of American history within the Democratic Party in nominating the first Black and Asian Indian woman to be President of the United States,” DaoJensen said.
California delegates will also get to help shape the party platform — its guiding principles for the next four years. This year, some Progressive Caucus delegates plan to push the party to call for an arms embargo in Israel due to the war on Gaza.
Delegates will also meet with different party caucuses, such as the Women’s Caucus and Disability Caucus, or with other groups like the Labor Council.
And during the week, California’s delegates will hear from a number of officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and governors from other states: JB Pritzker, of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Andy Beshear of Kentucky.
What to watch for?
The prime-time speeches tend to be the big headline-makers at conventions.
Biden is scheduled to speak tonight to all the delegates, along with 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton, with former President Barack Obama set to address delegates on Tuesday. Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton will take the stage, as will former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, before Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepts the vice presidential nomination. And Harris will deliver her acceptance speech on Thursday.
The convention is also an opportunity for those politicians with national ambitions (even certain ones who say they don’t have any ) to make a name for themselves among party leaders and a national audience (in 2004, then-Sen. Obama delivered the keynote address that helped propel him into the national spotlight .)
And while there may not be drama on the convention floor for the nomination, there is some tension expected: Various groups plan to protest outside the United Center, including those opposed to the war in Gaza. An “Abandon Biden” group plans a press conference this morning featuring third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West. With heightened security in place, protests are assigned to designated areas.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0