Can’t-miss quotes, pictures and breaking news from this week’s historic gathering of Democratic Party leaders.
The Democratic National Convention runs Monday, Aug. 19, to Thursday, Aug. 22, as party leaders gather in the Windy City. For those seeking an inside look at the intersection of politics and feminism at the DNC, Ms. magazine writers and editors are on the ground in Chicago, delivering real-time insights and reflections from the heart of the action.
In this live update article, expect real-time multimedia updates multiple times a day, capturing the narratives and voices shaping the future of U.S. politics. We’ll bring you direct reports, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes perspectives from the convention floor and events closed to the public. Stay tuned as we navigate the dynamic events of the DNC and uncover the feminist conversations driving today’s political space, as we hurtle toward the most important election of our lifetimes.
Friday, Aug. 23, Post-DNC
Kamala Harris Makes a Compelling Case for Her Presidency
10:15 a.m. CT
Highlights from the fourth and final night—a night of freedom and renewed patriotism.
“Trust Donald Trump and JD Vance to look out for your family? Shoot, I wouldn’t trust those guys to move my couch.”
—Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
“Trump admires dictators, a lot. He treats our friends as adversaries and our adversaries as friends. …
“I want you to proudly claim your patriotism. … Do not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag but spit in the face of the freedom it represents.”
—Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.)
“Tonight we are going to realize Shirley Chisholm’s dream. … I know she’s watching us tonight as a Black woman accepts the nomination for president of the United States.”
—Reverend Al Sharpton, civil rights leader
“[Trump] wanted us dead. Today we are exonerated because the actual perpetrator confessed and DNA proved it. He says he still stands by the original guilty verdict. He dismissed the scientific evidence rather than admit that he was wrong. He has never changed and he never will. That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America, it is not. We have the constitutional right to vote. In fact, it is a human right. So let’s use it.”
—Yusef Salam of the Exonerated Five
“’When powerful offenders are allowed to manipulate public opinion by attacking their victims’ credibility, all victims suffer.’ Those words are from the 2021 amicus brief filed by RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, in the case of E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump.”
—Karrie Delaney, director of federal affairs at RAINN
“In the 1970s, Donald Trump was sued for refusing to rent his apartments to African-Americans. His employees were told, ‘Put those applications in a drawer, and leave them there.’”
—Marc H. Morial, president of the National Urban League
“As vice president, [Kamala Harris] cast the tie-breaking vote for the most ambitious climate action plan in our nation’s history.”
—Deb Haaland, U.S. secretary of the interior
“Two years ago a miscarriage nearly killed me. I needed care, but my state’s abortion restrictions kept it from me. I miscarried in a bathroom. … I can’t change the past, but I can, we can, choose a different future.”
—Anya Cook
“Why wouldn’t we choose the leader that’s tough, tested and a total badass?”
—Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)
“The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself.”
—Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
“My entire career, I have only had one client. The People. … On behalf of The People, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with. People who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth. I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.”
—Vice President Kamala Harris
“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”
—Harris
“As a part of [Trump’s] agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress. And, get this, he plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions. …
“When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”
—Harris
“I know there are people of various political views watching tonight and I want you to know, I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power. …
“It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth—the privilege and pride of being an American.”
—Harris
Thursday, Aug. 22, Day 4
A Sea of White for Suffrage
5:50 p.m. CT
Women at the DNC are wearing white in honor of the suffragists who fought to earn women the right to vote over 100 years ago.
View tonight’s full speaker schedule here.
—Roxanne Szal
Closing Out Day Three of the DNC With Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Women Governors, Oprah and Coach Walz
9:50 a.m. CT
It’s the last day of the DNC, and we’re still buzzing from yesterday evening’s events—which included a roundtable with Democratic women governors and actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus to discuss the importance of women in state leadership, plus freedom-themed evening programing that included appearances from reproductive rights leaders, Oprah, Jan. 6 survivors and vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Top Moments from Night Three of the DNC
“When abortion is on the ballot, we win. … You come for our rights, we will come roaring back.”
—Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly known as NARAL Pro-Choice America
“More than 1 in 3 women and nearly half of all Black women live in banned states. … We cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free.”
—Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood
“Ashley [is] a 12-year-old rape survivor in Mississippi. Because of her state’s abortion ban, she started seventh grade with a newborn. That’s the Republican promise of states’ rights.”
—Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood, about a 13-year-old rape victim in Mississippi who had a baby amid confusion over state’s abortion ban
“Millions of women across this country are living with the devastating consequences of Republican abortion bans. Now comes Project 2025, a blueprint for banning abortion in all 50 states. It would give extremists like Donald Trump and JD Vance the power to monitor your pregnancy, and prosecute doctors for mailing abortion medication. Make no mistake, the threat of Project 2025 is very real, but so is our ability to stop it.”
—Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs list
“When Latinos vote, Democrats win.”
—Maria Teresa Kumar, CEO of Voto Latino
“I got a message for the Republicans and the justices of the Supreme Court: You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand.”
—Dana Nessel, attorney general of Michigan
“I saw how Trump undermined our intelligence community, our military leaders and ultimately our democratic process. Now, he’s doing it again: lying and laying the groundwork to undermine this election. … Being inside Trump’s white house was terrifying. But what keeps me up at night is what will happen if he gets back there. The guard rails are gone, the few adults in the room the first time resigned or were fired.”
—Olivia Troye, former national security officer in the Trump administration
“You don’t have to agree with every policy position of Kamala Harris, I don’t. But you do have to recognize her prosecutor mindset that understands right from wrong, good from evil. She is a steady hand who will bring leadership to the white house that Donald Trump could never do.”
—Geoff Duncan, former lieutenant governor of Georgia
“This is a political convention. But needing our only son—and all of the cherished hostages—home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue.”
—Jon Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped from Israel by Hamas and lost part of his left arm
“I had seen violence while serving in Iraq, but nothing prepared me for January 6. … We were beaten, and blinded. I was assaulted with a pole attached to the American flag. President Trump summoned our attacks and sided with them. He betrayed us.”
—Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, retired U.S. Capitol police officer
“The parable of January 6th reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care.”
—Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), former House speaker
“Let us not just believe in the American dream, let us be worthy of it.”
—Amanda Gorman, national youth poet laureate
“If you do not have autonomy over this [your body], if you cannot control when and how you choose to bring your children into this world and how they are raised and supported, there is no American dream.”
—Oprah Winfrey
“We protected reproductive freedom, because in Minnesota we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make, even if we wouldn’t make those same choices ourselves. We’ve got a golden rule–mind your own damn business, and that includes IVF and fertility treatments.”
—Tim Walz, nominee for vice president
“I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe our first responsibility is to keep our kids safe.”
—Walz
Democratic Women Governors Panel
The U.S. population is 51 percent female, but only 25 percent of governors are women. The U.S. has 12 women governors, eight of whom are Democrats. Here’s what the eight of them—”what JD Vance might call a coven of semi-menstruating witches,” quipped Louis-Dreyfus—had to say.
“All of you women on this stage are evidence that Martin Luther King was right when he reminded us that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. Sometimes we forget that when Trump is trying to bend it back the other way.”
—Julia Louis-Dreyfus
*
Why is it important right now to get women candidates on the down ballots?
—Louis-Dreyfus
“The down ballots become the up ballots.”
—Gov. Kathy Hochul (N.Y.)
“We need women elected up and down the ballot to make sure that every critical decision that affects our lives is done the way it ought to be done. So that it’s fair, and equal, and quite frankly, effective.”
—Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (N.M.)
“I wouldn’t be here as governor if I hadn’t been in the legislature. I wouldn’t have been in a position to run for secretary of state, let alone governor, and just look at our next president. She started as a DA. Down ballot races are critical.”
—Gov. Katie Hobbs (Ariz.)
*
“What are you doing to ensure your state’s elections will be certified without interference and that election workers will be safe?”
—Louis-Dreyfus
“We’re working very closely right now with our secretary of state and our attorney general to make sure that we are prepared for every single scenario that may come our way. …
“We are going to do everything we can, which means everything, to ensure that Arizonans votes are protected, that their voices are heard, and that our electoral votes are cast for the winner of the election in Arizona.”
—Gov. Hobbs
*
Do you think there’s a unique advantage to being a female and being a governor?
—Louis-Dreyfus
“Yes. There are unique hurdles, there are unique barriers, there are a lot of different ways that we are treated compared to male candidates. But I would also say it’s a huge advantage to be underestimated. …
“People write us off, don’t expect us to be as deep on issues or as thoughtful in articulating a vision or as tough as everyone on this panel is. … I would much rather be underestimated than overestimated.”
—Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Mich.)
*
“What is something you’ve done in your state that you wish more people were aware of?”
—Louis-Dreyfus
“I wish people knew what we were doing in our prisons. That so often forgotten part of your responsibility and other people don’t think about it at all, but we have really spent a considerable amount of time, energy, resources and thought into changing our entire prison system from just one being punitive to one being really more rehabilitative.
“But also, education. We are starting to see our incarcerated folks as our potential workforce. We have ingrained education training programs, we are actually building campuses on our correctional facilities to ensure that these folks can get the education that they need to be successful when they get out.”
—Gov. Laura Kelly (Kan.)
*
“How have your priorities changed since you started out in the job [started six years ago]?”
—Louis-Dreyfus
“I started during the pandemic. … I started thinking about how we could do things better ourselves as a small state. How we could produce more products—how we can diversify our farming and forestry and fishery? Innovation. It gave me a different perspective on the people and I think it gave the people a different perspective on what the government does for them. What is the safety net? How good is it? Are there tears and holes and gaps in it? And isn’t that our job, to make sure there are none and make sure we lift up everybody?”
—Gov. Janet Mills (Maine)
*
“Gov. Healey, basketball, a team sport—does that have a role in making you the leader you are today?”
—Louis-Dreyfus
“I was a point guard. … Basketball is a team game. One thing I love about this team [the governors] is that different states, different callings brought us here but we are a team. This party is an unbelievable team. That’s what you’ve seen on display all week. Everybody’s got their role and their position to play.”
—Gov. Maura Healey (Mass.)
*
“I’m going to fight like hell to get [abortion access] back for my granddaughter. Yes, you can have an abortion in the state of New York, but there are sisters across this nation who are going to need our help.”
—Gov. Hochul
—Clara Scholl and Roxanne Szal
Wednesday, Aug. 21, Day 3
Pollster Celinda Lake on the Power of Women’s Votes—and What’s Driving Them
7:30 p.m. CT
The summer before the 2022 elections, a Trump-stacked Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Casey—the first time in history the Court has taken away a fundamental right. By Labor Day, most pundits predicted abortion wouldn’t drive many votes, but inflation would. How wrong they were.
As we all know by now, Democrats outperformed all expectations, and the ‘red tsunami’ never materialized.
“It was abortion that made a huge difference in race after race,” Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, a top Democratic polling firm, said at the time. “In well over half the races, it was the issue of abortion that increased turnout of Democrats and younger voters.”
According to nationwide exit polling by Edison Research, abortion was the second most important issue for voters, trailing the top issue—inflation—by only 4 percentage points. The exit polls closely tracked Ms.’ polling of battleground states, released in October 2022, which showed similar numbers. For young women, abortion was the most important issue headed into the midterms.
In an event hosted by USC Annenberg, pollster Celinda Lake, Ms. executive editor Kathy Spillar and feminist journalist Marjorie Margolies discussed what the latest polls are showing, and if mainstream media has learned any lessons from two years ago. Here are our favorite takeaways.
“One of the things I love about polling is that conventional wisdom is usually wrong about 95 percent of the time, plus or minus 5 percent.”
—Lake
*
“Feminism is in, and being a feminist voter is in.”
—Lake
*
“Younger women know that women’s rights and abortion are very strongly tied to economic well-being. … Also the language that women in general and young women in particular are interested in using. We don’t need to say ‘Roe v. Wade.’ We don’t need to say ‘restore.’ We can say the ‘a word’—abortion. It’s time. …
“They also firmly believe that we’re on a slippery slope here, that [Republicans] are not going to stop at abortion. They’re going to go to LGBTQ rights, they’re going to go to tracking periods. …
“Women are not stupid, they get what’s going on. … Women get that abortion is just the first hit. They’re coming after everything, and women understand, they’re coming after the right to equal education. Title IX is under attack. Title XII [prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin], equal opportunity and employment and pay is under attack. Birth control, of course, is under attack. So women get it—and men get it too. If only the politicians would talk about it. ”
—Lake
*
“People think [Donald Trump has] paid for about 18 abortions, so they wonder how personally against him he really is. But three-quarters of voters are convinced that he would put in a national ban for political reasons.”
—Lake
*
“The gender gap is on steroids right now. And no matter what poll you look at and no matter what demographic, there’s a big difference between the voting of men and women. … The secret formula to success in 2024 is to win women by more than we lose men.”
—Lake
*
“On the abortion initiatives, people want to know where their candidates stand.”
—Lake
As of last week, eight states, have certified ballot measures for the November elections: Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.
*
“Americans can be kind of crazy. I mean, I love them, but they can be kind of crazy. So 60 percent of Americans don’t like socialism, but only 50 percent of Americans know what it is.”
—Lake
*
“Lesbian women and transgender women are adamantly for control of your own body and making your own medical decisions.”
—Lake
*
“I work with suburban women all the time. There is a lot of energy in the suburbs.”
—Margolies
*
“I wanted to ask you about your findings on the support for the rights amendment that you did for us a year ago. We are so close to seeing it become part of the Constitution, the 28th amendment. It has been ratified, and that’s one message I want everybody to take with them. … It has been blocked from being published as the 28th amendment based on a controversy on whether or not the time limit in the preamble. … We are hoping it can happen this session. … Tell us about public opinion and the Equal Rights Amendment.”
—Spillar
“The ERA is significantly more popular than all of the politicians who oppose it. Every demographic of voters is overwhelmingly in favor, even Republicans don’t know they’re supposed to be opposed to it. It tests well in the states, like in New York, where it’s on the ballot. It’s very popular nationally as well, and there’s real intensity to the support.
—Lake
—Roxanne Szal and Linda Burstyn
The Morning After: DNC Second Night and the Vibes Were High
8:14 a.m. CT
After a rollicking state-by-state roll call (watch a full recap here, or listen to the playlist here), Kamala Harris was reaffirmed as the Democratic nominee for the United States presidency. Harris and Walz appeared remotely from Wisconsin to accept the nomination.
“We are so honored to be your nominees,” Harris told a roaring crowd. “This is a people-powered campaign and together we will chart a new way forward. A future for freedom.”
The speaker lineup featured several messengers aimed to grab the attention of Independents and moderate Republicans looking for an alternative to Trump—such as Stephanie Grisham, former Trump White House press secretary. “Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them ‘basement dwellers,'” she said. “Here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat, and that’s because I love my country more than my party.”
And the Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, who confessed, “I feel more at home here [at the DNC] than in today’s Republican party.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned voters that “Republicans pretend to care about freedom, but they voted no on a woman’s right to choose. No to safeguard IVF. No to birth control. That is just a taste of their extreme agenda.”
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) told the crowd, “When the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country. Now we need to summon that will again because too many of our fellow Americans are struggling everyday to get by. … We need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaire class.”
The Chicago-based convention also spotlighted Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who spoke about reproductive freedoms—”we think the government should help you prosper, not police who you’re sleeping with”—and needled Trump: “We have a choice, America, between the man who left our country a total mess and the woman who has spent four years cleaning it up. And I think it’s time we stop expecting women to clean up messes without the authority and the title to match the job.“
Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois contrasted her military service with Trump’s: “I went to war to protect America’s rights and freedoms, so I take it personally when a five time draft dodging coward like Donald Trump tries to take away my rights and freedoms in return, especially when it concerns my daughters.”
She also shared her personal story with IVF—she struggled with infertility as a result of her military service in Iraq—and warned that Republicans are coming for that right: “My girls … never would have been born without access to reproductive care. After 10 years of struggling with infertility, I was only able to have them through the miracle of IVF. But now, Trump’s anti-woman crusade has put other Americans’ right to have their own families at risk. If they win, Republicans will not stop at banning abortion. They will come for IVF next.”
The headline speakers of the night were Doug Emhoff, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama.
Before Emhoff spoke, the stadium played a touching tribute video of Cole Emhoff—Doug’s son—narrating the story of his blended family and his dad’s romance with Harris.
Emhoff’s speech painted a picture of a man secure in his masculinity and ceding the spotlight to his wife—securing his spot as America’s favorite “wife guy.”
“America, in this election, you have to decide who to trust with your family’s future,” he said. “I trusted Kamala with our family’s future. It was the best decision I ever made.”
Michelle Obama took the stage next. (Read a transcript of her remarks here.) Her speech started as a touching tribute to her mother Marian Robinson, who died in May at the age of 86. But eventually the former first lady put the focus on Trump, delivering iconic lines like: “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?”
For Michelle Obama, Trump’s attacks on her family have been personal: “For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. … His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.”
“Most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward,” she said, adding that most Americans do not grow up with “the affirmative action of generational wealth.”
“If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third or fourth chance,” she said. “If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No. We don’t get to change the rules so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top.”
She also warned of reproductive freedoms and women’s rights under Republican rule: “Cutting our healthcare, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through IVF like I did—those things are not going to improve the health of our wives, mothers and daughters.”
Michelle then ceded the stage to her husband, who quipped, “I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama.”
The former president continued to draw a contrast between a future Harris-Walz presidency and a Trump-Vance one.
He said Harris “is running for president with real plans to lower costs even more, to protect Medicare and Medicaid, and sign a law to guarantee every woman’s right to make healthcare decisions. In other words, Kamala Harris won’t be focused on her problems—she’ll be focused on yours. She won’t just cater to her own supporters and punish those who refuse to kiss the ring or bend the knee—she’ll work on behalf of every American.
“I think most Americans understand that democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws in some book somewhere,” Barack Obama continued. “It’s the values we live by. Its the way we treat each other, including those who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or see the world exactly like we do. that sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message.
“We need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices, and that if we want to win over those who aren’t yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concerns. And maybe learn something in the process. After all, if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume they’re bad people. We recognize that the world is moving fast—that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us. That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority.”
—Roxanne Szal and Clara Scholl
Tuesday, Aug. 20, Day 2
Why Women Voters Matter
4:05 p.m. CT
Kamala Harris’ appeal to women voters has become a central question for many in the media. A panel hosted by USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism with Kathy Spillar, executive editor of Ms.; Michele Bratcher Goodwin, professor at Georgetown Law and executive director of Ms. Studios; and Carol Jenkins, activist, former broadcast journalist and former president of the ERA Coalition; moderated by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, writer and executive director partnerships and strategy for Ms., explored the gender gap and what is driving women’s votes in 2024.
Read on for highlights from the panel:
On the importance of women’s voices in media:
“The reason we’re so crazy about the media is because if you’re not in the media, you’re not in the history books.”
—Jenkins
On the importance of feminist journalism:
“Ms. not doing what a lot of the other corporate media is doing—simply reporting on what’s happening. We have a strong point of view, and our job is to make sure that we’re looking at stories through a feminist lens. We’re looking at what is happening in the world, and telling readers: What does this mean for women and for children? What does this mean for women of color, for LGBTQ people? What does this mean in terms of public policy? … What does this mean to people’s lives?”
—Spillar
“It is really, really important that women journalists have the opportunity and platform to be able to come together. And oftentimes, there may be things that they actually want to write about, they care to write about, but they can’t get through. It’s not perceived as being urgent, important, etc, no matter where it is that they are writing. …
“There’s a lot to be said about our democracy and how we overlook women as real contenders in our democracy. … So one way to look at the concerns of women is that it’s a viewpoint, a lens, to measuring the temperature of our democracy.”
—Goodwin
“What’s super interesting to me is the idea that abortion and the economy are not the same conversation. That is also a sign of mainstream media not telling the story right, and that’s another place where that kind of multilayered, textured storytelling is needed.”
—Weiss-Wolf
On what the ERA would mean for women:
“Dobbs overturned Roe and Casey. … If only we had an Equal Rights Amendment to say that women do have a right to their own lives.”
—Spillar
—Roxanne Szal
What to Expect on the Second Night of the DNC
12:30 p.m. CT
The second night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2024 features several high-profile speakers, shifting the focus towards Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign against Donald Trump.
- Former President Barack Obama
- Former First Lady Michelle Obama
- Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
The Harris campaign is also highlighting “trusted messengers” from key battleground states, including:
- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada)
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)
- Sen. Gary Peters (Michigan)
- Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Michigan)
- Sen. Bob Casey (Pennsylvania)
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin)
- Sen. Mark Kelly (Arizona)
- Gov. Roy Cooper (North Carolina), scheduled as one of the final speakers before Harris accepts the nomination on Thursday
The convention will also feature prominent Republicans who are now critics of Trump:
- John Giles, Republican mayor of Mesa (Arizona)
- Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Illinois)
- Former Georgia Lieutenant Gov. Geoff Duncan
- Former Trump White House staffers Olivia Troye and Stephanie Grisham
This diverse lineup of speakers aims to reach undecided voters.
The Morning After: In Night One’s Programming, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden Light the Torch for Harris
9:45 a.m. CT
On celebrating Harris’ heritage and identity, and what it means for political representation:
“Something is happening in America. You can feel it. Something we’ve worked for and dreamed about for a long time. … Millions marched, many ran for office, we kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here.
“My mother Dorothy was born right here in Chicago before women had the right to vote. That changed 104 years ago yesterday. Think about it, Tennessee became the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The state legislature was deadlocked until one lawmaker’s mother, a widow who read three newspapers a day, sent a letter to her son. ‘No more delays,’ she wrote, ‘Give us the vote.’ And since that day, every generation has carried the torch forward. …
“I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother could see us. They would say, ‘Keep going.’ Shirley [Chisholm] and Gerry [Ferraro] would say, ‘Keep going.’ Women fighting for reproductive healthcare are saying, ‘Keep going.'”
—Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state
“As a Black man, raising a little Black girl on the west side of Chicago, I know that my daughter Braiden will see not only a reflection of herself in the white house but she will experience the deepest part of American values.”
—Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
“When the dust settles in November and Americans of all stripes have elected Kamala their president … all of us, from New York to Pennsylvania, to Arizona, to California, we can ask ourselves, ‘Is this America?’ And we will be able to say, loudly and proudly, ‘You’re damn right it is!'”
—Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)
“Kamala knows that each generation has an obligation to the next. …
“When I asked her to swear me in, the first woman vice president swearing in the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, we knew we were sending a message to young girls everywhere that they too can lead.”
—Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
On Project 2025:
“Project 2025 is the Republican blueprint for a second Trump term. … It plans to turn Donald Trump into a dictator. … “Whatever you think Project 2025 might be, it is so much worse.”
—Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow
On reproductive rights under a Harris-Walz administration:
“I am here tonight because the fight for reproductive rights isn’t just a woman’s fight. This is about fighting for our families, and as Kamala Harris says, ‘our future.’”
—Josh Zurawski
“I was raped by my stepfather after years of sexual abuse. At age 12, I took my first pregnancy test and it was positive. That was the first time I was ever told, ‘You have options.’ I can’t imagine not having a choice, but today that’s the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trump’s abortion bans. …
“Kamala Harris will fight for every woman and every girl, even the ones who are not fighting for her.”
—Hadley Duvall
On the contrast between Trump’s and Harris’ economic vision:
“The truth is Don, you cannot love this country if you only fight for the wealthy and big business. To love this country is to fight for its people. All people.”
—Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
“Kamala Harris knows we need an economy where the costs are low and opportunities abound, an economy where people can show up to their jobs with dignity and pride.”
—Gina Raimondo, secretary of commerce
On Joe Biden’s political and personal legacy:
“He told me I could be anything and do anything. As a child, I would sit on the leather chair doing my homework, and he would sit next to me doing his work: drafting the Violence Against Women Act. …
“He wasn’t just a ‘girl dad.’ I could see that he valued and trusted women. How he listened to his mother, how he believed in his sister. And most of all, how he respected my mother’s career.”
—Ashley Biden, President Biden’s daughter
“Our best days are not behind us, they’re before us. …
“Democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered. And now, democracy has to be preserved. … MAGA Republicans found out the power of women in 2022. And Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024. Watch. …
“History is in your hands.”
—President Joe Biden
—Clara Scholl and Roxanne Szal
Monday, Aug. 19: Day 1
DNC + ERA
5:30 p.m. CT
The Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed in 1923, would guarantee equality of rights under the law for all regardless of sex. The ERA passed Congress in 1972 with the needed two-thirds vote of the U.S. House and Senate. The required three-fourths of the state legislatures then ratified the ERA when Virginia became the 38th state to ratify in 2020. It still has not been added to the Constitution.
Zakiya Thomas, ERA Coalition president, spoke to Ms. about the importance of a multiracial, multigenerational and pro-LGBTQ+ movement for the ERA:
“If you’re a woman, if you’re a woman of color, racism and sexism comes together so much that we have been oppressed for so long, we don’t even realize we’ve been marginalized in so many ways.
“The trope is, we are stronger together. And that’s true. When we have people coming together across movements, we are stronger. The forces that fight against us, they want us to stay separated and siloed, because they know they can pick us off one by one like crabs in a barrel. But if we come together and say, ‘No, you’re not going to do that,’ there’s power there. … Our job is to make people understand that the Equal Rights Amendment is for everyone. …
“We are fighting for the trans women, for the LGBTQ+ women, we’re fighting for reproductive rights, for reproductive justice, for environmental justice, for racial justice, because all of that is wrapped up in the same thing. As a woman, all these things negatively impact us much more than anyone else. And so, we have to come together and recognize that everyone adds something to this movement, because the movement is us. And the ERA is us. And that’s how we make sure we move to the next stage of our democracy, which is full equality for all people.”
—Roxanne Szal
Equali-Tea with Ms., Feminist Majority and ERA Coalition
2:30 p.m. CT
Feminists gathered Monday afternoon in celebration of Vice President Kamala Harris, in honor of “smashing the highest of glass ceilings and celebrating the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.”
Lisa Ann Walter, long-time ERA advocate and award-winning actor, opened her speech with, “I am Lisa Ann Walter and I am a postmenopausal woman”—a clapback to vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s 2020 comments that helping to raise children is “the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female.”
About the ERA, Walter recounted, “I remember as a kid when I heard about the ERA, I did what a lot of actual young people do now: When I tell them, ‘Oh no, you’re not guaranteed equal rights under our Constitution as a woman.’ Young women who are activists, who lead different political groups at their school, look at me, shocked.” A 2022 poll by Data for Progress finds the same: Overall, 70 percent of voters mistakenly believe women and men are guaranteed equal rights in the Constitution.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the push to pass the Equal Rights Amendment has taken on new urgency as an avenue for shoring up women’s rights, especially reproductive rights.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—the first and only woman to ever hold the office—reminded attendees that during the Senate vote on the Right to Contraception Act in 2022, just “eight Republicans voted that women would have a right to birth control; 195 of them voted no.”
Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta also spoke in defense of the ERA and reproductive justice. “How many children a woman wishes to have or not have—that is her business,” she said. “Who you live with, who you love, who you marry—that is your business. Let’s share that message with all of these people that are so confused.”
—Roxanne Szal
Nighttime Programming to Come
12:45 p.m. CT
The convention’s theme for the opening night is “For the People,” echoing Harris’ campaign slogan. Monday night’s speakers are:
- President Joe Biden will deliver the opening remarks of the convention. His speech is expected to focus on the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, economic recovery efforts, and defending democracy at home and abroad.
- First Lady Jill Biden will also speak, highlighting the successes of the administration.
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will welcome Democrats to Chicago and discuss how the party is working to secure freedoms and the nation’s future.
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Jaime R. Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee
- Peggy Flanagan, lieutenant governor of Minnesota
- Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.)
- Gina M. Raimondo, secretary of commerce
- Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.)
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
- Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.)
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)
- Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas)
- Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.)
- Amanda and Josh Zurawski of Texas, Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana, and Hadley Duvall of Kentucky—all parents denied necessary abortion care as a result of state abortion bans
- Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.)
- Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.)
- Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.)
Other prominent figures scheduled to speak during the convention include:
- Former President Barack Obama
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
- Former First Lady Michelle Obama
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to attend Monday’s events following a bus tour through Pennsylvania, but her presidential nomination acceptance speech is scheduled for Thursday night to close out the convention.
Kamala Harris and Fannie Lou Hamer: A Powerful Moment, 60 Years Later
10:34 a.m. CT
This moment in history marks 60 years since voting and women’s rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer famously confronted the United States on its chilling legacies of racial hostility and animosity, and its horrific and confounding patterns of violence and sexism toward Black women, at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
After Hamer and a group of women attempted to vote, she described being arrested and taken to a local jail that housed men. Hamer’s testimony shed light on the realities of Black voter suppression, police violence, and the desire to become “first-class citizens,” exposing the dirty secrets of a nation that had not yet fulfilled its promises of equality, freedom, privacy, liberty and voting rights.
This week, six decades after Hamer’s famous appeal, the delegates assembled will vote and name Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president. (Harris already earned a majority of delegates in a virtual roll call, but a ceremonial roll call is still expected to take place at the convention.)
Amid the anticipated and deserved celebration should also be a remembrance of the legacy set forward by Fannie Lou Hamer. Kamala Harris will be standing on her shoulders.
Join Ms. and FMF @ the DNC
9:00 a.m. CT
We’ll be featured at several events throughout the DNC:
- Monday, Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. CT: Join the Feminist Majority and ERA Coalition for a Feminist Equalitea gathering in celebration of Kamala Harris for smashing the highest of glass ceilings, the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and the fight for its recognition, and fabulous feminist candidates and elected officials at Palmer House Hilton, State Ballroom, 17 East Monroe Street. (RSVPs are now closed, but email kspillar@feminist.org if you’d like to attend.)
- Tuesday, Aug. 20 at noon CT: USC Annenberg School will host “Why Women Matter” (a media series with Ms., Politico, Univision, and others) featuring Michele Goodwin, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Carol Jenkins and myself at Hilton Chicago, Astoria Room 3rd Floor, 720 South Michigan Avenue. RSVP here.
- Wednesday, Aug. 21 at noon CT: USC Annenberg School will host a conversation between myself and expert pollster Celinda Lake at Hilton Chicago, Astoria Room 3rd Floor, 720 South Michigan Avenue. RSVP here.
‘Project 2025 HQ’ on Trump Hotel
8:00 a.m. CT
Project 2025 has lost its director and faces scathing criticism. But its plan to train an army of political appointees who could battle against the so-called deep state government bureaucracy on behalf of a future Trump administration remains on track—and Democratic Party operatives are making sure voters don’t forget this plan.
On Sunday evening, the words “Project 2025 HQ” were projected on the Trump International Hotel in downtown Chicago. It’s not exactly a stretch—after all, 80 percent of the authors of Project 2025 served in the first Trump administration.
Other messages projected on the building included, “Trump-Vance: ‘weird as hell,'” and “Harris-Walz fighting for you.”
—Andy Kroll, Nick Surgey and Carrie Baker
Read more:
U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. For as little as $5 each month, you’ll receive the print magazine along with our e-newsletters, action alerts, and invitations to Ms. Studios events and podcasts. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.
