DNC 2024: Live Updates From the Democratic National Convention
Kamala Harris takes the stage tonight at the 2024 Democratic National Convention as the party's presidential nominee, along with speakers such as Gretchen Whitmer, Roy Cooper, Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly, and Adam Kinzinger. (And maybe a special guest?) Last night, Tim Walz headlined the festivities, which featured Democratic luminaries, like Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, and prominent figures in the party, including Hakeem Jeffries, Josh Shapiro, Wes Moore, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar. There was also Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Mindy Kaling, and Kenan Thompson, and of course, Oprah Winfrey, who brought the house down. “We won't be sent back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back,” she said. “We’re not going back.”
Washington's Vision for Washington
“I know I am the one standing on this stage but I am not the lead character in this story,” DNC host Kerry Washington declared tonight. “You are. You are the messengers, you are the fixers, dare I say it: You are the Olivia Popes. You are the superheroes saving this democracy.”
When Washington was cast as a political fixer in the Shondaland series Scandal, she became the first Black woman in 38 years to star in a network TV drama. Her character, Olivia Pope, was the fictional West Wing’s most potent secret weapon, but Washington has kept a hand in real-life politics for a long time. She spoke at the 2012 and 2020 Democratic conventions, appeared at the 2017 L.A. Women’s March and did her part for Stacey Abrams’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign, on top of her Vision Into Power Cohort, which provides resources to grassroots organizations. She’s also a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. (Oh, and did I mention her performance as Anita Hill in the HBO movie Confirmation?)
But forget her serious credentials. What fans really wanted to see was a reunion between Olivia and her Scandal lover President Fitz Grant, played by Tony Goldwyn, who hosted night 1 of the DNC. The two (known by the ship name “Olitz”) took selfies on the convention floor last night. As Washington posted, “Giving the people what they want.” And they made it even more official by taking a selfie tonight on live television.
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Host Kerry Washington Says Tonight "You are the Olivia Popes!”
To those who want to tell Kerry Washington to “shut up and act” or to “go back to your TV show,” here’s her response: “I am not here tonight as an actor. I am here as a mother, a daughter, as a proud union member. I am here as the granddaughter of immigrants, as a Black woman who descended from enslaved people. I am here tonight because I am an American and because I am a voter!” Tonight, she continued, she will not be the lead character, that’s on “you.” “Dare I say it, you are the Olivia Popes!”
Georgia On His Mind
Just heard an interesting background story from members of the Georgia delegation: Lil Jon was worried by rumors of voter suppression in Georgia in 2020, and asked Congresswoman Nikema Williams to accompany him to his polling site. The two stayed in touch and eventually things wound up with his big moment during roll call.
“I Miscarried In A Bathroom.”
Floridian Anya Cook took the stage tonight, alongside her husband and their new baby, to explain how she “needed care” last year when experiencing pregnancy complications. “But,” she continued, “my state’s abortion restrictions kept it from me.” “I miscarried in a bathroom. I’ll never forget my husband’s face, as he tried to stop the bleeding, trying to do what doctors should have been doing. When I reached the hospital, I lost nearly half the blood in my body.”
In 2022, Florida passed a law that banned abortions after 15 weeks. Two years later, a 6-week ban went into effect, decimating access to abortion care in the region. She is one of several women this week at the DNC who have highlighted, , through their own lived experiences, the brutal realities of a post-Dobbs America. You can read more about Cook’s story here.
The Delegates in White
When the camera pans over the crowd in the United Center tonight, it’s easy to see plenty of convention goers in all white outfits, referencing the traditional association between the color and the history of women’s suffrage. According to NPR, delegates spread the word through Facebook groups and text chains. Before the telecast began, a group of women from Alpha Kappa Alpha, the sorority that counts Vice President Kamala Harris as a member, lined up on stage to take a photo.
About two hours into the night’s festivities, Secretary Deb Haaland took to the stage to deliver a rousing speech about climate change, and her white outfit made it clear that she got the memo. Along with a lacy shawl, she wore a white silken ribbon skirt with jewel-toned rings. The style has become a signature look for Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary.
When the former congressional representative from New Mexico took the job as the head of the Department of the Interior in 2021, she wore a traditional ribbon skirt designed by Agnes Woodward. Haaland’s embrace of the garment later became the subject of an inspiring picture book, What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me, written by Alexis Bunten and illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt .
The Golden Boy Backs Kamala Harris
Steph Curry appeared at the DNC by video on Thursday, sporting his freshly won Olympic gold medal, and endorsed fellow Bay Area figure Kamala Harris. “I got to visit Kamala with my team in the White House last year,” he said, referring to his trip with the 2023-24 champion Golden State Warriors, “and I can tell you one thing I knew then and definitely know now: the Oval Office suits her well.”
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
When You Love America, You Want Her to Have Clean Water
Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a U.S. representative from Florida, reminded the crowd about the stakes of ignoring climate change.
“This election is about every drop of water that we consume and every breath we breathe.” Fighting the climate crisis is patriotic, he continued, and “unlike Donald Trump, our patriotism is more than some damn slogan on a hat, it’s about actually giving a damn about the people who live in this country. Because when you love somebody, Frost said in a billowing voice, “you want them to have clean air,” “safe drinking water,” and a “dignified job.”
Read more on how Frost, Congress’s youngest member, got introduced to Washington here.
The DNC Has Outrated the RNC Three Nights in a Row
Ratings don't necessarily translate to votes, but Democrats have about 20 million reasons to feel good on the final night of the DNC. The first three nights of convention programming averaged more than 20 million viewers each night, according to Nielsen's TV ratings estimates. The Democrats' party (at times a literal one) has outrated the Republican convention for three nights in a row.
Michael Mulvihill, a ratings expert at Fox Sports, posted on X that the Democrats have also accumulated a much larger total viewership during the week. "Largely because the DNC shows have simply been longer than the RNC, the DNC has built a sizable lead in total time viewed over the first three nights," Mulvihill wrote. "From 9p ET on, the DNC has totaled 10.1 billion minutes viewed across all networks, +52% more than same nights of the RNC (6.6 billion)."
The Democrats’ Spectacular Show
This must be one of the most successful political conventions in my lifetime, marrying political messaging with showmanship, emotion and momentum. DNC started out on night one feeling like a conventional convention, but the Dems continued to rev up the intensity so successfully that it feels more like a music festival, where you might’ve come to see the familiar faces (Michelle Obama! Oprah!) but you’ll pick up new favorites every night (Jasmine Crockett! Hakeem Jeffries!).
I worried after night two—with its dynamic rollcall, dueling Obama speeches, and sweet Emhoff-athon—that it would be hard to keep the enthusiasm aloft. Yet night three ratcheted up the rizz. It’s the most artfully paced set of climaxes I’ve seen this side of Love Island. And for this final night, the social media hive is wildly abuzz over tonight’s “surprise guest.” The emphasis all week has been positivity, leavened with precision targeted putdowns. (Insert Barack Obama’s re-roasting Trump or Elizabeth Warren’s couch joke here). Last night Kenan Thompson offered a perfect dose of edutainment while explaining how Project 2025 will affect Americans rights, while John Legend and Sheila E offered the sheer party uplift of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.”
The Dems are using laughter to explain the stakes and music to mobilize. Given the Dems’ lock on the entertainment industry and pop culture, it’s not that surprising they’re putting on a spectacular show. Maybe their new slogan should be: When we entertain, we win?
The Speech Uncommitted Wanted to Give
Earlier today, Mother Jones obtained the speech that Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American and a Democrat, has been wanting to present on the DNC stage this week. You can read the full address here. “This historic moment is full of promise, but only if we stand together. Our party’s greatest strength has always been our ability to unite. Some see that as a weakness, but it’s time we flex that strength,” her speech reads.
There are thirty uncommitted delegates at this year’s DNC—a group of people representing others who chose to vote “Uncommitted” in their state’s primary to put pressure on the Biden administration to change their handling of the war in Gaza. For weeks, this group has been trying to secure a speaking spot on the main stage. Last night, national Democrats denied their request for a speaker.
Following the news, Uncommitted DNC attendees, and their supporters, including US Representative Ilhan Omar, began a sit-in outside. “Rep. Romman and Uncommitted organizers both confirmed that this was the speech she was planning to give if allowed for a potential 2-minute speaking slot. Uncommitted said they were open to the speech being edited and vetted. They said the DNC did not ask to see the speech,” Mother Jones’ Noah Lanard wrote.
The tone of unity, of togetherness, is present throughout the text. She writes, “in this pain, I’ve also witnessed something profound—a beautiful, multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition rising from despair within our Democratic Party. For 320 days, we’ve stood together, demanding to enforce our laws on friend and foe alike to reach a ceasefire, end the killing of Palestinians, free all the Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and to begin the difficult work of building a path to collective peace and safety.”Romman told Mother Jones, “If an elected official in a swing state who is Palestinian cannot make it on that stage nobody else can.”
No Weird Republicans Allowed
There have been plenty of Republicans roaming the Democratic National Convention, and a few even made it on stage. One who wasn't invited? Vivek Ramaswamy. The Donald Trump surrogate showed up to the United Center as evening programming got underway Thursday—at the former president's request, he said—but only got as far as the vestibule of the arena before attendees hit him with a few choice words and he headed back out to the parking lot.
As he made his way out of the perimeter, I asked him about his remarks last month at the Republican National Convention, where he called for more civil discourse in the wake of Trump's near-assassination. “Was Trump following his own advice?” I asked. Ramaswamy touted Trump's “honesty” and “unifying” tone, and took umbrage at Democrats' characterization of him and other Republicans as “weird.” “I don't consider that a unifying message,” he told me.
Night 4 Is Already Emotional
I was watching Elizabeth Warren come on from the floor with the Georgia delegation. The response was emotional and thunderous in a way I hadn’t seen for any other early-evening speaker. Delegates crying. One insider told me that the reaction she got was probably bigger than anyone but Tim Walz, which shows that the populist stuff still really does appeal in the party.
What It's Like at the United Center
At 5 p.m. CT, people were coming out of the arena because there was no more space. The place is packed, and there are crazy rumors flying about a special guest, including one that it could my old boss George W. Bush. It feels like people are here to witness a moon landing.
Elizabeth Warren Makes a JD Vance Couch-F--king Joke
“Kamala Harris can’t be bought, and she can’t be bossed around,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren just now in her pre-primetime speech at the DNC. Warren’s tone was more moderate than we’re used to. But she did have one line that brought some heat: JD Vance and Donald Trump? “I wouldn’t trust them to move my couch,” Warren said, referencing, well, you know.
“Registered Independent” Oprah Winfrey Wore Bespoke Christian Siriano to the DNC
Oprah Winfrey may be this country’s great unifier, and her surprise speech at the DNC yesterday was no exception—trademark bellowing included with that six-second hold on “Kamala Haaaaariiiiiiiiiiissssss!”
And as Oprah expounded on the “best of America,” she was wearing an ensemble that was perhaps the best of the night, a monochrome purple Italian silk crepe pantsuit with wide-leg trousers and a blazer with a corset-like belt, a custom look created for her by Christian Siriano. Siriano, by the way, had no idea that Oprah would be wearing his design, nor that she would even be speaking at the DNC, he tells Vanity Fair.
Much was made of the choice for Oprah to opt for full-on monochromatic purple, fully committing to the hue, from the thin wire rims of her eyeglasses and her eyeshadow, to her jewelry, suit, and heels. Siriano says that nobody outright mentioned the color as emblematic of political unity and the blending of the Democrats’ blue and the GOP’s signature red for a speech where Oprah told the crowd that “this election isn’t about us and them” and that “you’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again. Because I’m an American, and that’s what Americans do.” He assumed that it was a continuation of her press tour for The Color Purple, and selected a shade that felt “more regal.”
This election’s DNC has been remarkable for the number of independent and Republican voices lending their support to the Democratic Harris-Walz ticket, and having Oprah—one of the most recognizable personalities in the world—use her distinctive and loud voice in its favor is an absolute boon. She’s an outspoken independent who was once rumored to have pitched a unity ticket to Mitt Romney (her reps later denied this), and who has supported Democrats in the past but isn’t a shoo-in for the party. She’s consistently popular and trusted, and her words aren’t taken so much as idle chatter, but as proclamations.
Republicans Are Cyberbullying Kids at the DNC
It seems the weirdness of Republicans knows no bounds. At the DNC yesterday, as newly anointed Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz gave a rousing pep talk, his son Gus, sitting in the audience with his mom Gwen and sister Hope, got understandably teary-eyed. Standing up, the 17-year-old, who is neurodivergent and has a learning disorder, pointed to his father on the stage and said, “That’s my dad.” The proud father-son moment melted hearts everywhere. Well, not quite everywhere.
In a since-deleted post, right-wing media pundit Ann Coulter mocked the emotional teen. “Talk about weird…” she wrote. It was one of several recent attempts made by Republicans to reclaim the word that Walz has been credited with masterminding as a political taunt. Unfortunately for Coulter, the internet wasn’t having it. “To prove that people like me aren’t the weird ones, I – a 62-year-old woman – am going to bully a 17-year-old for crying out of love for his father,” wrote one user on X.
Coulter wasn’t the only Republican to make fun of the child. Mike Crispi, a failed congressional candidate, took to X to call him both “stupid” and a “beta male.” The latter has been a favored putdown among MAGA-leaning men, whom many have pointed out stand in stark contrast to the masculinity being demonstrated by the “nice men of the left,” Walz, along with Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, being two of the most visible practitioners of the group.
DNC Night 4 Speaker Schedule
Night four of the Democratic National Convention is finally underway, and we have a schedule! All of this is, of course, subject to change given the Democrats' penchant for going long. (Also, there's been much buzz of a surprise guest or two.)
5:30 p.m. CT
Call to Order
Minyon Moore (Chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee)
Gavel In
Texas Representative Veronica Escobar
Invocation
Everett Kelly (National President of the American Federation of Government Employees)
Imam Muhammad Abdul-Aleem (Masjidullah Mosque, West Oak Lane, Pennsylvania)
Presentation of Colors
Illinois State Police Honor Guard
Pledge of Allegiance
Luna Maring (6th Grader from Oakland, California)
Welcome Remarks
Texas Representative Veronica Escobar
Joint Remarks
Becky Pringle (President of the National Education Association)
Randi Weingarten (President of the American Federation of Teachers)
Remarks
California Senator Alex Padilla
6:00 p.m. CT
Remarks
Marcia Fudge (Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development)
Remarks
California Representative Ted Lieu
Remarks
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin
Remarks
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark
Remarks
Colorado Representative Joe Neguse
Remarks
Mayor Leonardo Williams (Durham, North Carolina)
Remarks
Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi
Remarks
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey
Remarks
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren
Remarks: “Project 2025—Chapter Four: Making America Weaker and Less Secure”
Colorado Representative Jason Crow
Remarks
Michigan Representative Elissa Slotkin
Remarks
New York Representative Pat Ryan
Remarks
Reverend Al Sharpton
Joint Remarks from representatives of “the Central Park Five”
Dr. Yusef Salaam (Member of the New York City Council)
Korey Wise
Raymond Santana
Kevin Richardson
7:00 p.m. CT
Joint Remarks
Amy Resner
Karrie Delaney (Director of Federal Affairs at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
Lisa Madigan (Former Attorney General of Illinois)
Marc Morial (President of the National Urban League)
Nathan Hornes (Former student at Corinthian Colleges)
Tristan Snell (Former New York State Assistant Attorney General)
Remarks
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey
Remarks
Courtney Baldwin
Remarks
Deb Haaland
Remarks
John Russell (Content creator)
Remarks
Florida Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost
Remarks
Texas Representative Colin Allred
Joint Remarks on “A New American Chapter”
Anya Cook
Craig Sicknick
Gail DeVore
Juanny Romero
Eric, Christian, and Carter Fitts
8:00 p.m.
National Anthem
The Chicks
Host Introduction
Kerry Washington
Joint Remarks
Meena Harris
Ella Emhoff
Helena Hudlin
Remarks
D.L. Hughley
Remarks
Chris Swanson (Sheriff of Genesee County, Michigan)
A Conversation on Gun Violence
Georgia Representative Lucy McBath
Joined by Abbey Clements of Newton, Connecticut, Kim Rubio of Uvalde, Texas, Melody McFadden of Charleston, South Carolina, and Edgar Vilchez of Chicago, Illinois.
Remarks
Gabrielle Giffords
Performance
P!NK
Remarks
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly
Remarks
Leon Panetta (Former United States Secretary of Defense)
Remarks
Arizona Representative Ruben Gallego
Remarks
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
9:00 p.m. CT
Remarks
Eva Longoria
Remarks
Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger
Remarks
Maya Harris
Remarks
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper
Remarks
Vice President Kamala Harris
JD Vance Accuses Democrats of Injecting a Gloomy Tone into the 2024 Election
Speaking to Fox News following the third night of the Democratic National Convention, JD Vance claimed, “What so many of the speakers did, including Tim Walz, is basically say that if you want a better life for your children, if you want to vote for Donald Trump to change the direction of this country, you’re a bad person.” (Fact-check: Nobody said this.)
Incidentally, it appears that Tim Walz and his message are resonating with voters, while Vance’s, not so much.
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Also this week, Vance told reporters that Democrats should “pump the brakes a little bit on the apocalyptic rhetoric around Donald Trump,” warning that it could lead to violence. As a reminder, Trump incited a violent attack on the Capitol after he lost the 2020 election, which lead to the deaths of seven people.
Yes, We're Still on Beyoncé Watch
And we won't stop reading into even the slightest buzz.
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.