Dems project unity at first night of national convention

CHICAGO (CN) — Energized and invigorated Democratic party members descended on Chicago Monday night as they kicked off a week of festivities that will coalesce in the coronation of Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee for president.

The tenor of the first night of the Democratic National Convention was a far cry from the malaise and uncertainty that plagued the party just months ago — and it came despite some reverberating discontent about Democrats’ chosen candidate.

Outside the United Center arena on Chicago’s near west side, protesters continued to demonstrate against the party throughout the day, at times briefly scuffling with police. At least three protesters were arrested around 5:30 p.m. for reasons police did not disclose to Courthouse News or a nearby legal observer.

Other demonstrators carried signs attacking both Harris and President Joe Biden emblazoned with slogans proclaiming, “Democrats fund the genocide of Palestinians.” Rallies and speeches continued in nearby Union Park as the Democrats began the evening’s program.

But in spite of the violence unfolding just steps away, Democrats inside the arena cut a silhouette of rock-solid unity, as an initial slate of speakers held up Harris as the best person to take on former President Donald Trump in November.

“It will take someone with toughness to stand up for us,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson from the convention stage. “And let me tell you, America, Kamala’s got it. It will take everyone — and let me tell you all, she’s got us.”

Harris, who if elected would become the U.S.’s first female president and the first Black woman to lead the country, also received resounding words of support from Black leaders including NAACP President Derrick Johnson and her former Senate colleague, California Senator Maxine Waters.

Civil rights icon and former D.C. shadow Senator Jesse Jackson took the stage alongside the Reverend Al Sharpton to cheers and applause from the gathered crowd.

The Democratic National Committee also adopted its campaign platform, framing their policies addressing issues such as abortion rights and climate change as a foil to the extreme vision of the Trump campaign.

Comparisons between Harris and Trump abounded among the speakers who joined the convention Monday night.

“We deserve a president who is tough, not just tough-talking,” said California Senator Laphonza Butler, who worked on Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign. “We deserve a president who tests the boundaries of what’s possible, and not just what’s legal.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul told convention attendees that Trump wasn’t raised with “New York values.”

“Donald Trump was born a New Yorker, but ended up a fraud, philanderer and a felon,” she said. “I’m proud of my roots and the values I learned — grit, determination, compassion. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz grew up with those same values.”

Several speakers punctuated their remarks with calls of “we’re not going back,” resolving that the country would not return to a second Trump presidency. The crowd on several occasions chanted the phrase.

Meanwhile, the convention formally, albeit ceremonially, confirmed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Harris’ running mate via a voice vote.

Harris rocketed to the head of the Democratic party after President Joe Biden announced in July that he would not seek reelection. Biden made the decision to step aside following a disastrous first debate against former President Trump, after which confidence in his ability to win reelection cratered among Democrats.

But if Biden felt railroaded out by his Democratic colleagues, it didn’t show as he addressed the convention Monday night.

“Democracy has prevailed, democracy has delivered and now democracy must be preserved,” he said.

The president’s speech read as a reflection on his four years in office and a preview of a Harris administration, touching on issues such as infrastructure development, abortion rights and gun control. But Biden also took the opportunity to formally pass the torch to his vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee.

“They’ll continue to lead America forward,” Biden said of Harris and Walz. “We’ve made incredible progress, but we have more work to do.”

The vice president, meanwhile, briefly took the stage to welcome delegates to the convention. She began by thanking President Biden for his leadership, saying that Americans were “forever grateful” for him.

“Let us fight for the ideals we hold dear, and let us always remember: when we fight, we win,” Harris said to raucous applause.

Meanwhile, outside the United Center Monday night, Demonstrators engaged in a brief standoff with police, and officers wearing riot gear moved in on one occasion to break up an impromptu encampment.

But by 8:30 p.m. Central time, protest action outside the convention had largely quieted down.

The presumptive Democratic nominee is set to accept her party’s nomination Thursday.

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