© AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster |
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Former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama will bring their star wattage to Vice President Harris’s nominating convention Tuesday night in Chicago, returning to the city that launched their political careers. Nearly a decade removed from office, the Obamas remain two of the most popular Democrats in the country.
They’ve largely eschewed the political spotlight since leaving the White House, opting instead to build their media company, Higher Ground, which produces original TV, movies, documentaries and podcasts.
Their relative scarcity on the political stage will have Democrats hanging on every word Tuesday night.
Democrats have seen echoes of Obama’s 2008 campaign in the early days of Harris’s run, with the big crowds and an emphasis on the historic nature of her candidacy as a Black woman.
Still, the political terrain has changed entirely since Obama last campaigned. Harris has some ground to make up on former President Trump if she hopes to recreate the Obama coalition of young voters, racial minorities and white working class voters. While Obama speaks, Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be in nearby Milwaukee for a rally. Wisconsin has gone for Democrats in every presidential race since 1988 with the exception of 2016, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the Badger State. What to watch for tonight…
The theme: “A Bold Vision for America’s Future” - The Democrats will look ahead to a potential Harris administration and the “choice between two very different visions of America.”
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They’ll argue that Trump believes “our best days are behind us” and will enact polices “designed to take us backwards.”
- There will be several anti-Trump Republicans and former Republicans speaking throughout the week. John Giles, the Republican Mayor of Mesa, Ariz., is expected to speak tonight.
Speakers (in no particular order): - Former President Obama
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Former first lady Michelle Obama
- Second gentleman Doug Emhoff
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
- New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
Perspectives:
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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© Associated Press/Wilfredo Lee/Jose Luis Magana |
It’s Election Day in Alaska, Florida and Wyoming. Here are a few of the primary races we’ll be watching… Florida -
Who will Democrats nominate to take on Sen. Rick Scott (R)? Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) is the favorite, and a recent Florida Atlantic University/Mainstreet Research survey put her within 4 points of Scott in a head-to-head matchup. Still, Mucarsel-Powell faces a steep uphill climb to win statewide in Florida, which has 1 million more registered Republicans than Democrats.
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) faces off against Republican Aaron Dimmock, although Gaetz is expected to win easily. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is backing Dimmock, as he seeks revenge for Gaetz leading the effort to oust him from the speakership.
Alaska -
Rep. Mary Peltola (D) is looking to hang on to her seat as Alaska’s lone representative in Congress. Peltola faces 11 challengers in the ranked-choice voting process. The top four will advance to a run-off regardless of party affiliation. Also running: Two Democrats, four Republicans, and five candidates either running as independents or with the No Labels and Alaska Independence Party.
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Pro-Palestinian protests smaller than anticipated
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The Pro-Palestinian protests at the Democratic National Convention have been smaller and less invasive than expected.
Crowds have been in the low thousands, as compared to estimates of tens of thousands. The disruptions have been muted so far: -
Protesters interrupted Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-Minn.) remarks to the Democratic Women’s Caucus on Tuesday.
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Some protesters broke through fencing into the secured convention area, and there have been several arrests.
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Pro-Palestinian protesters have unfurled signage on the convention floor, including in primetime last night, but the protests have been quickly drowned out or shutdown by convention-goers and organizers.
- The big Pro-Palestinian march is scheduled for Thursday, the final day of the convention.
President Biden, who has been denigrated by the protesters as “Genocide Joe” for his handling of the war in Gaza, acknowledged the protesters in his speech on Monday night. “Those protesters out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.”
While Harris has not vocalized any differences on policy with Biden when it comes to U.S. arms support for Israel, some on the left believe she’s more sympathetic to the cause.
Some Democrats are pushing her to be more vocal on the issue.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told Politico he believes Harris has differences with Biden and that she should express them publicly. “I think she has differences … Be who you are.”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who lost his primary in part due to big spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), pushed Harris to call for an arms embargo to Israel.
“She was the first to say ceasefire – she’s said it multiple times. An arms embargo’s the next step. And so I would like to hear her say that before the election, absolutely. Is she going to say it? I don’t know.”
Perspectives: - New York: Stop projecting humane beliefs on the protesters.
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Jewish Insider: Jewish Democrats see flashback to Obama in Harris’s views on Israel.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate Nicole Shanahan says they’re considering dropping out and backing former President Trump, as polls show Kennedy drawing support away from Trump in key swing states.
“There’s two options we’re looking at. One is we’re staying in, forming the new party, but we run the risk of a Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump…or we walk away right now and joint forces with Donald Trump and we walk away from that and explain to our base why we’re making this decision. Not easy.” – Shanahan on Tom Bilyeu’s Impact Theory podcast. Kennedy posted on X a short time later:
“As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign. These are: reversing the chronic disease epidemic, ending the war machine, cleaning corporate influence out of government and toxic pollution out of the environment, protecting freedom of speech, and ending politicization of enforcement agencies.” There were some mixed polls released Tuesday for the Trump and Harris campaigns… -
Is Virginia a battleground? The latest Roanoke College survey finds Harris leading Trump by only 3 points, which is within the margin of error. President Biden carried Virginia by 10 points in 2020, but Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is extremely popular in the state, posting a 59 percent job approval rating overall.
- The race is effectively tied in Pennsylvania, according to the latest Insider Advantage survey.
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The Center for Politics changed North Carolina from “Leans Republican” to “Toss-up.” The state has only gone blue in the presidential race one time since 1980.
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Harris leads Trump 50 to 42 in Nebraska’s second district. Nebraska is one of two states that splits its Electoral College votes. Each of the three Congressional Districts gets one, and the overall winner in the state gets two. The second district is known as Nebraska’s “blue dot” in the sea of red, and could come into play if the race for the White House is as close as polls indicate.
Harris has had a nice polling run recently, but the president of the largest super PAC supporting her candidacy warned Tuesday that internal polling is not as good as public polls have indicated.
“Our numbers are much less rosy than what you’re seeing in the public.” Future Forward super PAC president Chauncey McLean. |
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Trump sets sights on Sun Belt
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Former President Trump is barnstorming the swing-states and fighting for air time against Vice President Harris’s nominating convention.
Trump will deliver remarks Tuesday on crime in Detroit, and then it’s off to Arizona and Nevada for the rest of the week, as Trump tries to shore up his support in two critical Sun Belt states. He’ll fit a trip to the Southern border in between. The latest on the Trump campaign: |
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“The decline in youth mental health bodes ill for American politics,” by Julian Adorney, Mark Johnson and Geoff Laughton for City Journal. “The perils of isolationism” by Condoleezza Rice for Foreign Affairs.
“Matthew Perry, ketamine, and America’s doctor-to-dealer pipeline,” Marc Siegel for The Hill. |
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21 days until the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump.
31 days until early in-person voting begins in Minnesota and South Dakota. 42 days until the vice presidential debate between Vance and Walz.
77 days until the 2024 general election.
153 days until Inauguration Day 2025. |
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Tuesday - Night two of the Democratic National Convention.
Wednesday - Trump delivers remarks on national security in North Carolina.
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