Party faithful are feeling invigorated by U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris's swift ascension to the top of the ticket as the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago on Monday following a tumultuous month for the party.
The four-day convention's theme is "For the People, For Our Future" and observers say it will be a key moment for Democrats to unify the party and build on the excitement behind the Harris campaign.
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to give a speech Monday night that's expected to detail his administration's accomplishments and share how a Harris administration will continue that work.
Attendee Aphrodite McCarthy, who's from Mississippi, said Biden has been a good president but it was hard to build momentum around his campaign because there were serious concerns over whether he could win.
"We were all very worried," said McCarthy, dressed in a Wonder Woman outfit.
"It just felt like we needed more energy."
When Harris was confirmed as the candidate, McCarthy said, "it was like daylight again."
It's been only a few weeks since Biden removed himself from the presidential race due to mounting criticism over his age and mental acuity. Those concerns were cemented by a disastrous debate with his Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump.
Democrats quickly rallied behind the vice-president and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who will symbolically accept the nomination following a celebratory rollcall during the convention.
Kelly Jacobs has been to five other Democratic conventions and has become well known for wearing creative outfits that feature the candidates. Draped in a full-length Harris and Taylor Swift dress, Jacobs jumped up and down when asked about the changing atmosphere among Democrats since Harris topped the ticket.
"Everything is different. People are excited," Jacobs said.
Former president Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton are among the other scheduled speakers this week.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence on the Scott Northern Wake Campus of Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
"Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for the American people and America's future — Donald Trump is only fighting for himself," convention chair Minyon Moore said in a news release Sunday.
Experts say it is unlikely speeches will go into much detail on a potential Harris administration's approach to foreign policy.
Observers have said they expect Harris to follow the path forged by Biden when it comes the country's relationship with Canada.
Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., as well as Liberal MP John McKay, co-chair of the Canada-U.S. interparliamentary group, will be attending the convention. Hillman also attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.
Hillman has been working with other members of Ottawa's Team Canada and provincial politicians to reach out to their American counterparts on both sides of the aisle ahead of the November election.
Polling remains close, but Democrats have been riding a wave of enthusiasm since Harris stepped up. Polls have slightly shifted in their favour in important battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Harris is now in a virtual tie with Trump in the presidential race, according to a Pew Research Center survey released last week. Among her supporters, 62 per cent said they back her strongly. A month ago, only 43 per cent felt the same way about Biden.
"It has been remarkable the degree to which this change has been effective," said Marc Trussler, the director of data science for the University of Pennsylvania's program on opinion research and election studies and a Canadian.
It will be essential for Harris to continue to find ways to keep the broad coalition of Democratic voters happy by focusing on what they have in common: a desire for reproductive freedom and a dislike of Trump, said Trussler.
There are many things that could divide the party and discourage voters from heading to the polls in November. Most volatile among them is the war in Gaza.
Thousands of activists converged outside the convention Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
People held Palestinian flags as speakers received applause for saying they were determined to voice their opposition, no matter who is leading the Democratic party.
Protester Louisa Joy said she feels the U.S.'s support for Israel makes it complicit in the war and she wanted to challenge all leaders to do better.
"It doesn't matter who does the genocide, it's still genocide."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2024
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A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
The 75-year-old building, formerly the Waskesiu Chamber of Commerce building, was relocated to the Parks Canada compound on the edge of the townsite.
Mattea Roach among the Maritimers honoured with the King Charles III Coronation Medal Friday.
Donald Trump returned to North Carolina on Saturday, stumping in the southern battleground state with direct appeals to women, claiming he would be a better champion for them than U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is vying to become the first female president.
Sheba, a 50-year-old seal at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in southwest England, has far surpassed the average lifespan for seals and could be the oldest in captivity in the world.
The more Chelsea Walsh talked to the eccentric fellow American who seemed to pop up in every square and cobblestone street of Ukraine's capital, the more she got creeped out.
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Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Saturday as rescue crews in Beirut searched the rubble of an apartment building that was leveled by an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group's senior leaders as well as women and children.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says close to 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, months after warning there is no guarantee Ottawa can evacuate them if the situation deteriorates further.
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The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said Friday that it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers with carbon-free energy.
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The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
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Jim Lester’s farm hopped on the cow-cuddling trend in early August, and his time slots have been pretty well sold out ever since.
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