The 2024 Democratic National Convention kicks off next week. Here's what to expect.
Less than a month after becoming the new presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris is set to appear at this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. She will be making history as the first Black woman and first Asian American to head a major party ticket.
Harris’ campaign has been off to a booming start since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month. Less than 30 minutes after he stepped aside, Biden endorsed Harris. The Vice President quickly garnered overwhelming support from leaders in her party, and accumulated more than enough delegate support to win the nomination within the first 24 hours. She quickly re-energized voters, raising over $300 million and hosting rallies with crowd sizes topping 10,000 people.
She also recently embarked on a multi-state battleground blitz with Walz, starting in Pennsylvania. The two also held events in Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona last week.
All eyes are now on Chicago, where the Democratic National Convention is set to kick off next week. Here’s what to know about the upcoming event.
When is DNC 2024?
The DNC is scheduled to take place August 19 through August 22.
Where is the DNC 2024?
The convention will be in Chicago, just 90 miles south of Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention was recently held. The Democratic Party has held a national convention every four years since 1832 to nominate its chosen candidates, and Chicago has a storied history of hosting conventions on both sides of the political aisle dating back to 1860, with the nomination of Abraham Lincoln. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, this will be the Windy City’s 26th political convention.
What happens at the DNC?
Unlike the RNC, the DNC decided to confirm their nominee during a virtual roll call on Aug. 5 to satisfy ballot deadlines in several states. According to a press release, 99% of participating delegates supported Kamala Harris in the virtual roll call, and Harris and Walz accepted the nomination a day later.
However, Harris has not yet formally accepted the nomination, which she will do at the convention in Chicago.
In the meantime, there is still plenty left to do for the Democratic delegates. The DNC offers them a chance to adopt and unify a comprehensive party platform, taking a stance on issues like reproductive rights, immigration and economic policy.
The Democratic Party will post updates on its convention website, which can be found at demconvention.com.
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Rebecca Morin
Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY who focuses on Georgia politics. She is @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 2024 Democratic National Convention: Dates, location, what to expect