Tim Walz makes everyman pitch, uncommitted voters demand stage time: Day 3 DNC takeaways

CHICAGO - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz played up his role as the everyman on the Democratic ticket on Wednesday night by talking about his time as a high school teacher and coach while accepting his party's nomination for vice president.

Kamala Harris choosing a lesser-known governor from a Midwest state that was never really in question on the Electoral College map might have been risky to some.

They argued she needed a more moderate or swing state face, but for many progressives Walz is a dream come true and underscores how Democrats aren't running away from their base.

Taking the stage as the night's keynote speaker, Walz revved up the crowd by bragging about his policy record as governor. He talked up cutting prescription drug costs and establishing free school lunch for students while defending abortion rights and establishing firearm regulations. But the 60-year-old Democrat also underscored how the heart of his progressive values -- and differences withe the Republican ticket -- are about respecting others.

“They may not think like you do; they may not pray like you do; they may not love like you do, but they’re your neighbors, and you look out for your neighbors," Walz said.

Harris' running mate wasn't the big news of the night, however, as convention goers were visited by a familiar Chicago face: Oprah.

“Who says you can’t come home again?" the former TV talk show host, a registered independent voter, told the crowd.

The DNC convention's third night was dominated mostly by speakers who talked up Harris' record as a prosecutor, whether fighting cartels or domestic abusers. It also continue to lean into the theme of freedom, particularly on reproductive rights.

Several Democrats who took the stage sought to steal an issue out of the conservative playbook by spotlighting immigrations, especially the bipartisan work on border security that Republican nominee Donald Trump reportedly instructed GOP lawmakers to kill.

One of the more heartfelt moments came when the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American-Israeli man who was kidnapped in the wake of terrorist attack on Israel last October, addressed the convention. Their remarks generated a response from a group of uncommitted Democratic convention delegates, who demanded a Palestinian be allowed to speak on the main stage too.

Even if Israel's ongoing war in Gaza is rarely mentioned inside the United Center, much of the convention this week has been defined by the Democratic divide on how deal with the conflict, which has killed roughly 40,000 Palestinians.

Here are highlights from day 3 of the DNC.

'A dad in plaid' Walz speech

Democrats went into overdrive to convey that Walz is a regular small-town dude living down the road, with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar introducing her home-state governor as a “dad in plaid.”

They even brought out former students and football players on the stage sporting jerseys while playing up his military service (which has come under attack by the GOP).

The message was clearly aimed at Midwest voters across the blue wall, particularly in rural white working-class areas where Democrats have struggled. But that didn’t mean Walz walked away from his progressive values and record as Minnesota’s governor, whether on social or economic issues.

Walz reminded party loyalists that he ran for Congress as a Democrat in a deep red district – and won.  “Never underestimate a public school teacher,” he said.

Much like a high school pep rally (the crowd started chanting “coach” during his speech), the governor thanked supporters “for bringing the joy to this fight,” and for Harris entrusting him with the job of running mate and attack dog.

Walz went after Trump, and his running mate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, with fervor, saying that Harris is ready for the task and will prioritize Americans' wallets by cutting taxes for the middle class, lowering prescription drug prices and making home prices more affordable.

"Our job — our job for everyone watching — is to get in the trenches and do the blocking and the tackling, one inch at a time," Walz said.

Hamas hostage's parents address DNC convention, spark response

A somber moment overtook the convention hall Wednesday when Rachel Goldberg talked about her son, Hersh, being kidnapped by Hamas when he attended the Nova Music Festival in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

She described him as a "happy go lucky, laid back, good humored, respectful and curious" but that they have been living "on another planet" since his kidnapping.

Then Hersh's father, Jon Polin spoke up, saying releasing his son and all the other hostages is not a political issue, but rather a "humanitarian issue" At the end of their remarks, the pair had a message for their son to "survive" if they could hear them.

It didn't take long, however, for that moment to be wrapped up into the larger, divisive debate.

A group of uncommitted delegates held a sit-down protest outside the United Center, saying they had asked the Harris campaign and convention organizers to allow someone to talk about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza on stage, but were rebuffed.

Abbas Alawieh, an uncommitted delegate from Dearborn, Michigan, addressed reporters outside the convention hall, saying the "level of suppression is unacceptable," but that this group won't stop demanding for a change to U.S. policy and an end to the war.

"We're not even asking you to change the policy, right now, with this specific ask," he said. "Yes, we want you to change the policy but we just want to be heard."

Alawieh broke down in emotion when talking about the devastation in Gaza and the number of children reportedly killed by the Israeli military, saying the actions should alarm the country's conscience.

"Palestinian children need to be heard," he said.

Oprah makes surprise appearance for Harris

Oprah Winfrey, the billionaire media mogul, made a rare dive into national politics, delivering a forceful case for Harris.

It was a surprise appearance, reported only a few hours before she made her introduction on the convention stage.

“Watching the Obamas last night, that was some epic fire. We’re fired up and we can’t wait to leave here and ‘do something,’” she said, playing off a line that former first lady Michelle Obama made the night before.

“And what we’re going to do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” Winfrey said.

Unlike other Democratic speakers this week, Winfrey never mentioned Trump by name -- but it was clear when she was referring to the former president and Republican nominee.

Winfrey said “decency and respect are on the ballot” as she made a direct appeal to other independent voters like herself and undecided voters.

"Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual because that's the best of America,” Winfrey said. “Let us choose optimism over cynicism because that's the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense because that’s the best of America.

“Let us choose joy!” Winfrey said in her famous shout.

But the biggest applause of the speech came when Winfrey framed the historic nomination of Harris, who would become the first Black woman elected as president if she defeats Trump in November.

“Soon, and very soon, we're going to be teaching our daughters and sons about how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father -- two idealistic, energetic immigrants – how this child grew up to become the 47th president of the United States.”

‘Thank you, Joe,’ Pelosi says amid rift with Biden

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to end any bad blood between herself and President Joe Biden during a brief tribute to the outgoing president at the top of her convention address.

Pelosi was instrumental in applying pressure on Biden to drop out of the election last month.

But she used her stage time to praise Biden for establishing “one of the most successful presidencies in modern times," while touting Democratic efforts over the past four years to pass funding for infrastructure, lower prescription drug prices, tackle climate change and pursue other progressive priorities “all thanks to President Biden’s patriotic vision to a fairer America.”

“Thank you, Joe,” Pelosi said.

Biden has reportedly held lingering frustration toward Pelosi since his July 21 announcement to withdraw from the race and endorse Harris as his successor.

Pelosi, the first women to be speaker of the House, raised concerns, along with other Democratic lawmakers, about Biden’s ability to beat Trump in November. “He’s angry with Nancy Pelosi and views her as ruthless for ushering him out the door,” Politico reported last week.

Before flying out of Chicago on Monday, Biden rejected that narrative to reporters. “No one made my decision by me. No one knew it was coming,” Biden said, yet also confirming that he hadn’t spoken to Pelosi since announcing his decision.

As for Harris, she said her fellow California Democrat – someone she’s known for a long time given their mutual ties to San Francisco – is “ready to take us to new heights.”

“She is a leader of strength, with wisdom and eloquence on policy, most recently demonstrated fighting for a women’s right to choose,” Pelosi said.

Bill Clinton's complicated legacy with modern Dems

A long, long time ago in a decade called the 1990s, William Jefferson Clinton was the boss of the Democratic Party, and considered one of the best political communicators of the age.

"We have a pretty clear choice it seems to me. Kamala Harris for the people. And the other guy who's proved, even more than the first go around, he's about me, myself and I," Clinton told convention-goers. "I know which one I like better for our country."

Clinton, 78, the last president of the 20th Century, said he is too old to be doing this but asserted that he is still "younger than Trump," which ignited laughter in the convention hall. The appearance is part of a larger effort to underscore how Harris — unlike Trump — has the full support of her party's leadership, past and present.

But the former president is still thought of fondly by segments of the party who believe he could be an asset this cycle. Plenty of Pennsylvania delegates and officials, for instance, have reportedly endorsed the idea of Clinton — fondly called the "big dog" — returning to the campaign trail.

Still showcasing the 42nd president could also backfire and aggravate younger generations of Democrats, who find it hard to reconcile with Clinton's tenure scarred by an extramarital affair with an intern. That sort of misbehavior is looked at much differently among progressives, especially in the post-#MeToo era.

Chicago PD, FBI investigate bug breakfast

Ew!

One of the nastier moments of the DNC convention involved saboteurs who placed bugs at a delegate breakfast on Wednesday, according to Chicago Police and the FBI.

Both agencies are investigating the situation involving "unknown female offenders" who placed "objects onto tables containing food." The creatures appeared to be crickets, one witness told USA TODAY, but other reports suggested it was maggots.

The incident took place at the Fairmont Hotel, where delegates from Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and South Dakota are staying. At least one victim was treated and released on-scene.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walz pitched as 'dad in plaid,' Oprah surprise: Day 3 DNC takeaways