WASHINGTON The third night of the Democratic National Convention features a lineup of high-wattage political star power: former President Barack Obama, 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and 2020 vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Here are takeaways from Wednesday’s program:
WOMEN HEADLINING – AND WATCHING
Women dominated the convention’s first two nights and will do so again on Wednesday.
On Monday, former first lady Michelle Obama drew rave reviews on social media for her impassioned rebuke of President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Jill Biden ended the evening on a somber note, reaching out to families in grief over losses suffered from the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, actress Kerry Washington served as the moderator, the third woman to do so this week.
The night’s closer will be Harris, who will be formally nominated as the vice presidential nominee and will then deliver a speech assailing Trump for “a failure of leadership.” For Harris, a former presidential rival of nominee Joe Biden, it will be the most closely watched address she has ever given – and will serve as a preview of the role she is likely to play ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Harris was being preceded by Clinton, who headlined the party’s convention proceedings four years ago; U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the ever-present thorn in Trump’s side; and Senator Elizabeth Warren, who also ran for president.
Watching at home: millions of women voters in swing counties who likely will determine who the next president is going to be.
GUN-CONTROL MESSAGE
Democrats opened the night with a plea to end gun violence.
Highlighting the issue were former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords of Arizona, a victim of a mass shooter in 2011, and Emma Gonzalez, who became an activist after the 2018 mass shooting at her high school in Parkland, Florida.
During the Democratic nominating race, Biden frequently talked about gun control, an issue his party has embraced as a winning campaign message. Biden spoke of being entrusted as vice president with finding solutions for gun violence by Obama after the killing of 20 schoolchildren in 2012 by a gunman in Newtown, Connecticut. He boasted of taking on the National Rifle Association as a senator when he helped pass a since-expired ban on assault weapons.
Even amid the coronavirus pandemic and the economic downturn, gun rights could still be a flashpoint for some voters in the election.
Republicans at their convention next week will likely devote significant time to hammering Democrats on the issue. It is one reason why a St. Louis couple who waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in June have been invited to speak.
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