Democratic National Convention kicks off with excitement for Harris-Walz ticket

There is a lot of excitement in the United Center in Chicago as the Democratic National Convention gets underway.

The first night of the convention is meant to highlight Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' career in public service — from a district attorney to attorney general, as well as U.S. senator and vice president.

President Joe Biden will be the featured speaker on Monday in what will likely be a bittersweet moment for the lifelong Democrat. President Biden was on his way to securing the Democratic nomination until stumbling in a June debate. After initially resisting calls to step aside, the president dropped out of the race for president and endorsed Harris in July.

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In addition to President Biden, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will speak on Monday.

The night's other speakers include:

• UAW President Sean Fain
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• Rep. Jamie Raskin
• Rep. Jasmine Crockett
• Rep. Grace Meng
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
• Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock
• Sen. Chris Coons

Speakers later in the week are expected to include former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz will deliver the keynote speech Wednesday, and the week will wrap up Thursday with Harris' acceptance speech.
Party platform released

Thousands of Democratic delegates will vote this week on the party's platform, which is a 91-page document that outlines priorities for a potential Harris presidency. The platform has nine sections.

"President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are running to finish the job. To grow our economy from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down. To reward work, not wealth," the platform reads. To lower costs. To tackle the climate crisis, lower energy costs, and secure energy independence. To protect communities and tackle the scourge of gun violence. To secure the border and fix the broken immigration system. To advance the President’s Unity Agenda. To strengthen American leadership worldwide."

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Although the platform is intended to guide Democrats, it is also one that attempts to contrast the party's policies to those of Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. Trump's name is mentioned nearly 150 times throughout the document.

"Donald Trump has a very different vision — one focused not on opportunity and optimism, but on revenge and retribution; not on the American people, but on himself," the platform reads. "He and his extreme MAGA allies are ripping away our bedrock personal freedoms, dictating what health care decisions women can make, banning books, and telling people who they can love."