Democrats make case for Harris at party’s convention with the Obamas taking center stage

CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama were set to address the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, as the party draws on a coalition of its biggest stars, leaders from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ campaign against GOP nominee Donald Trump.

A symbolic roll call in which delegates from each state pledged their support for the Democratic nominee turned into a party atmosphere inside the cavernous United Center. A DJ played a mix of state-specific songs — and Atlanta native Lil Jon ran out during Georgia’s turn to his hit song with DJ Snake, “Turn Down for What.”

As soon as the roll call ended, Harris vowed at a packed rally in battleground Wisconsin — in the same arena where Trump accepted the GOP nomination a month earlier — to “chart a new way forward.”

She was also expected to seize on Trump’s opposition to a nationally guaranteed right to abortion.

“Yesterday, when he was asked if he had any regrets about ending Roe v. Wade, Donald Trump — without even a moment’s hesitation — said no,” Harris says in excerpts of her remarks. “No regrets. That’s because he hasn’t had to face the consequences. Women and families have. Well, we will make sure he does face the consequence at the ballot box this November.”

The Obamas topped Tuesday’s program, but the diverse lineup on a raucous night underscored the breadth of the political coalition that Harris’ campaign is working to stitch together in her bid to defeat Trump this fall. Just as President Joe Biden did in 2020, Harris is looking to win over a collection of young people, voters of color, working-class whites, suburban moderates and even anti-Trump Republicans.

And while the theme of the night was “a bold vision for America’s future,” the disparate factions of Harris’ evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a deep desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.

In an appearance perhaps intended to needle Trump, his former press secretary Stephanie Grisham — now a harsh critic of her former boss — also took the stage.

Trump “has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” Grisham said. “I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.”

Later on the night’s speaking program: second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Sens. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent beloved by progressives.

Trump, meanwhile, is visiting battleground states during the convention. He went to Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday and stood aside sheriff’s deputies as he labeled Harris the “ringleader” of a “Marxist attack on law enforcement” across the country.

“Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death,” Trump said in one of many generalizations about an America under Harris.

Obama, the nation’s first Black president, returns to the convention stage 20 years after making his first appearance at a national convention, an appearance in Boston at 2004 that propelled him into the national spotlight ahead of his successful 2008 presidential run.

In his Tuesday address, Obama is expected to help affirm why Harris and Walz are the right leaders for the country at this moment, lay out the task in front of Democrats over the next 10 weeks and bring into focus the values at stake in this election and at the heart of our politics, according to a person familiar with the remarks.

The former president believes this is an all-hands-on-deck moment and he is committed to do all he can to help Harris win, the person said, adding that Obama would engage in a range of traditional and creative tactics to reach voters over the coming weeks.

The thousands of people crowded into the convention hall will also hear from an array of prominent Republicans, including former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Trump White House staffers Olivia Troye and Grisham. All are now critics of Trump.

The Democrats’ pivot toward the campaign’s final 76 days follows a convention opening night that was designed to give a graceful exit to the incumbent president, who received a hero’s welcome during his Monday appearance.

Cooper reported from Phoenix.