Tonight’s convention lineup
Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, John Kasich and other speakers kick off the convention’s first night with a “We the People” theme.
WASHINGTON – Democrats will descend virtually Monday evening for the first night of the Democratic National Convention, putting forward a unified face by highlighting speakers from both sides of the aisle who support presumptive nominee Joe Biden.
Democrats are using Monday to show support from opposite ends of the political spectrum, with speeches from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was Biden’s final primary opponent, and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a 2016 Republican candidate for president who has been critical of President Donald Trump.
Monday will be an appeal to progressives who backed Sanders and moderate Republican voters such as Kasich who are dissatisfied with Trump.
They and other speakers will be followed by Monday’s keynote speaker: former first lady Michelle Obama. The evening’s theme, “We the People,” will focus on “Americans rising up to take our country back,” Democrats said, by singling out what the campaign calls the nation’s three crises: the pandemic, the struggling economy and racial injustice.
Also speaking Monday will be Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was on Biden’s short list for running mate before Biden selected California Sen. Kamala Harris, and House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., whose endorsement of Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary sparked Biden’s comeback
Under the banner “Uniting America,” the convention – which had been set for Milwaukee but moved to a virtual format amid the coronavirus pandemic – also will tell the stories of Americans who are struggling during the global pandemic and economic downturn.
A 57-member youth choir assembled by the Commonwealth Youthchoirs – one singer from each state and U.S. territory – is scheduled to perform the national anthem Monday night.
DNC speeches are to be broadcast from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
The event will air on major television networks. Viewers also can watch using Amazon Prime and Amazon Fire devices, including listening via Alexa, and watching on Apple TV and Roku TV.
The campaign announced Friday that virtual watch parties will take place in all 50 states throughout the week’s convention. They will be hosted by celebrities such as Alyssa Milano and Democratic Party leading figures such as Pete Buttigieg.
Biden will not accept the Democratic presidential nomination in Milwaukee, which was the original site of the convention. Instead, Biden and Harris will deliver their convention speeches at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, the Biden campaign said last week. Harris and Biden will deliver their speeches Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.