A surprise DNC guest to speak at the convention… but will they upstage Kamala Harris?
- A slate of Democratic speakers will headline the Convention this week
The Democratic National Convention is going all out this year with an impressive lineup of speakers.
President Joe Biden will deliver a speech on Monday, followed by a speech from Hillary Clinton. Former President Barack Obama will headline on Tuesday, and his counterpart, former Democratic President Bill Clinton, will headline on Wednesday.
But it was just announced that there was another speaker on the slate, and some Democrats wanted that person to replace Biden on the 2024 ballot instead of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Michelle Obama will speak before her husband’s speech on Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
It has now been announced that former First Lady Michelle Obama will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday
The former first lady is highly popular among Democrats, and in polls conducted before Harris was nominated, Michelle was the only potential Biden replacement to beat Donald Trump in last month’s polls.
In 2016, the outgoing first lady gave a speech to Congress as her husband stepped down, delivering the now-famous line, “When they go low, we go high.”
As Democrats scrambled to find a potential replacement for Biden last month after his embarrassing debate performance against Trump, Michelle emerged as the only challenger who could defeat the former president.
Though she has never held elected office, Michelle has promising poll numbers, rare popularity among voters and the ability to draw on her husband’s political connections.
An Ipsos poll after last month’s debate found Harris losing to Trump by 1 percent, but Michelle leading him by 11 percent.
Some wanted Michelle to take center stage in the 2024 election platform instead of Vice President Kamala Harris
A Chicago police officer takes a photo of people posing next to a mural of Harris outside the United Center, which was installed in preparation for the DNC this week
More than 50,000 people are descending on Chicago this week for the Democratic Party Convention, where Harris and Walz are expected to be officially nominated for the 2024 ticket.
After the Democratic Party’s biggest voices spoke at the convention earlier this week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will accept his vice presidential nomination with a speech on Wednesday.
Harris will close the event with her keynote speech on Thursday, followed by a balloon release.
A survey last month found that Michelle Obama was the only Democrat polling ahead of Donald Trump in a potential 2024 showdown amid calls for Joe Biden to resign.