The convention will run August 17-20 from 9-11 p.m. ET every night. Speakers for the first night include Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Representative Jim Clyburn, Representative Gwen Moore, Senator Doug Jones, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Former First Lady Michelle Obama giving the keynote.
Michelle Obama, one of the most popular figures in the country, gave a memorable speech at the DNC in 2016 in which she said of the Republican Party, “when they go low we go high.” It was the most celebrated speech of the convention that formally nominated Hillary Clinton to the top of the ticket, making her the first woman ever to receive a major party’s presidential nomination. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race against Biden in early April and enthusiastically endorsed his former Senate colleague. He has said that he believes Biden’s presidency “will be the most progressive since FDR’s.” New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will provide a lead-in to Sanders’ speech. Also notable will be the speech by South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, whose endorsement of Biden on February 26 changed the calculus of the race entirely and ultimately helped the former Vice President and Senator from Delaware become the presumed nominee. The convention was originally scheduled to begin July 13 but was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Though the event will physically take place at the Wisconsin Center — it was previously slated to occur at the larger Fiserv Forum before the Democrats began scaling back their plans due to the crisis — the convention has been billed as a primarily virtual affair and in-person attendees will be limited to the key personnel responsible for operating the event. Biden’s campaign recently announced several weeks ago that the former Vice President will not travel to Wisconsin to accept the nomination due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. All other speakers and presenters are expected to speak from remote locations. President Donald Trump has mused about giving his acceptance speech — the 2020 Republication National Convention will begin on August 24 — from the White House, which could create ethical and legal issues, or from the historic battlefield at Gettysburg, an apparent attempt at echoing Lincoln’s famous 1863 Gettysburg Address.
The Democratic National Convention will be followed by the Republican National Convention next week, and then the three presidential election debates between Biden and Trump. The first will be held on September 29, followed by subsequent debates on October 15 and October 22. A vice presidential debate between Kamala Harris and current vice president Mike Pence is scheduled to be held October 7. The 2020 presidential election will be held November 3. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
