A look ahead to this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago

John Yang:

It has been an unprecedented run up to this week`s Democratic Convention. The incumbent president dropping out under pressure from his own party, and the Vice President taking his place. NewsHour anchors Geoff Bennett and Amna Nawaz are in Chicago for the next chapter.

Geoff, what`s this week going to look like?

Geoff Bennett:

Well, John, Democratic officials say the convention will open tomorrow night with the theme "For the People." We`ll hear from Secretary Hillary Clinton, the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, and President Joe Biden, whose prime time keynote address will make the case for electing Kamala Harris.

Tuesday will be organized along the theme of what Democrats call their "Bold Vision for America`s Future," with evening keynotes from Michelle and Barack Obama. Wednesday night, we can expect the campaign to draw a contrast with the Trump ticket, and that`s when we`ll hear from former President Bill Clinton and Kamala Harris`s running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

And on the last night, as is customary, we`ll hear from the nominee herself, Kamala Harris, as she formally accepts the Convention`s nomination for president, outlines her agenda and reintroduces herself to the American public.

So, over the next four days, Democrats will look to capitalize on their base`s newfound enthusiasm for this campaign, which has really returned the presidential race to a neck and neck contest.

Amna Nawaz:

That`s right, Geoff, you know, I asked multiple Democratic officials and lawmakers, all of whom are attending the convention this week, to describe that sense of enthusiasm, they use words like joy and excitement and this word I heard a lot momentum going into this convention, and we have seen that momentum show up among voters in a race that has shifted dramatically since vice president Harris moved to the top of the ticket.

In fact, the latest battleground state polling shows Harris and former President Trump mostly tied. The latest national polling shows Harris with a narrow lead over Trump on both fronts. Of course, that is an improvement for Democrats from just a month ago when President Biden was still running for reelection.

Our White House correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez has been covering the Harris-Walz campaign. She`s here with us in Chicago.

So Laura, as we`ve been saying, this is a very different convention to the one Democrats were planning just a few weeks ago. What`s the vibe been like here in Chicago?

Laura Barron-Lopez:

It`s totally different. You can feel it here on the ground in Chicago, Democrats are motivated in a way that we didn`t hear them be motivated prior to Kamala Harris jumping in and when it was a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

And to seize on that momentum, Kamala Harris, the Vice President, is in Pennsylvania campaigning alongside her vice presidential pick, Tim Walz. They have a bus tour that`s going through Western Pennsylvania as well as Pittsburgh, and the campaign is holding 2,800 battleground state events where they are signing up more than 10,000 volunteers for shifts this week to knock on doors, including some high profile surrogates are out there, Pete Buttigieg, along with his husband in the state of Wisconsin, going through that key battleground state as they try to really just capitalize, as you said, Geoff, on the momentum that they`re feeling with their base.

Geoff Bennett:

And Laura, I know you`ve been speaking with Democratic voters about this race. What have they been telling you?

Laura Barron-Lopez:

I`ve been speaking to a number of Democratic voters, not just here in Chicago, but also in Wisconsin, and they tell a similar story. Essentially, a lot of them used words like nervous, worried. They used words like grim. When I asked them how they felt about this rematch, when it was a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and then how they feel now that Kamala Harris is about to, you know, go through this convention and she`s the Democratic nominee, how they feel about that the race has totally changed. And they say that now they`re more hopeful, that they feel like all of the dynamics have shifted, that they sense it in their communities, and they are clearly much more excited to just go out and vote, and they feel as though that Democrats potentially have a chance to win this election, when they didn`t necessarily feel that just a few weeks ago.

Amna Nawaz:

Laura, I know you`ve also been speaking with black voters in particular, of course, who are a key part of that Democratic coalition, voting bloc. What are you hearing from them?

Laura Barron-Lopez:

So as you both know, Donald Trump has been trying to siphon away, specifically black voters because, of course, the vast majority of black voters vote for Democrats, more than 80 percent almost every election cycle.

But he is thinking — Donald Trump is thinking that at the margins, maybe he can siphon away a few black voters. I`ve been talking to some who voted for Trump in the past, saying that they aren`t as necessarily interested in voting for him this time, but they`re not exactly sold on Kamala Harris yet, and they want to hear more from her speaking directly to them, specifically on the economy. They want to hear a lot more from her on those issues, on housing, which we`ve seen that she started to roll out more of her plans to differentiate herself from President Joe Biden.

But the black women that I spoke to are credibly excited, and they feel as though that the country is ready to elect its first black woman and South Asian president. So they`re hoping that that what they`re feeling is something that a lot of other women are feeling across the country.

And a lot of them name issues like reproductive rights and health care and abortion for why they`re excited about Harris.

Amna Nawaz:

We expect to hear a lot more, hopefully more details too, on this stage behind us for the rest of the week. Laura Brown-Lopez be here with us in Chicago all week. Thanks so much, Laura.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Thank you.

Amna Nawaz:

John, we will send it back to you.

John Yang:

Thanks, Amna, Geoff and Laura and the entire team in Chicago, and they will all be there for live special coverage every night of the Democratic National Convention, beginning Monday at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on PBS.