Democrats kick off their convention in Chicago – five things to watch out for

It feels like a very long time ago that Joe Biden was the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

In fact, it’s only four weeks since he stepped aside, paving the way for his running mate, Kamala Harris, to take centre stage.

Instead of closing out the Democratic National Convention (DNC), a four-day gathering of thousands of activists and party leaders ending on Thursday, Mr Biden will now be the subject of a hero’s goodbye on Monday evening in Chicago.

It’s likely he will receive one of the loudest cheers of the week inside the arena, in recognition of what many in his party perceive as a selfless act to step away at the expense of his own political ambitions.

The first lady, Jill Biden, will also speak on Monday and recap her husband’s achievements in an effort to secure his legacy. But the president will then disappear from Chicago and spend the rest of the week on holiday in California.

Return of the formers

There is a huge amount of excitement around the return of former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, who will address the crowd in her home city.

Ms Obama gained a lot of attention for her speech at the DNC in 2016 when she notably said “when they go low, we go high,” and consistently polls as one of the most popular figures in American politics.

Her speeches also tend to attract big audiences on online platforms so her endorsement of the Harris/Walz ticket is a valuable one.

Meanwhile, Mr Obama will likely focus on the contrast between the respective visions for the country that Ms Harris and Donald Trump have. Bill and Hillary Clinton will also speak, with the latter having failed in her bid to become America’s first woman president in 2016.

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Harris policy

By the time most presidential nominees arrive at their national convention, there is a coherent message about their policy platforms.

A criticism being levelled at Ms Harris since she became the de facto nominee is that it is not entirely clear what she stands for and is instead being sustained by the positive vibes around her campaign.

She is leaning into more general messaging which has wider appeal. She has started to tease out some of her economic policy, including plans to tackle soaring supermarket prices. But this week we should learn more.

Protests and Gaza

Protests are planned for every day of the DNC. Thousands of activists are expected on the streets of Chicago to call attention to the war in Gaza, abortion rights and economic injustice.

The city’s 12,000 police officers and the Secret Service say they are ready for large-scale protests and key areas of the downtown are already protected by barriers and parked snowplough trucks.

Ms Harris will be hoping to showcase Democratic unity but these protests will highlight the division on the left. Parallels are being drawn with anti-Vietnam war protests outside the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968, which led to clashes with police.

The celebrity factor

The Republican National Convention had Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan performing. But the DNC is expected to trade more on star power.

The convention will have a celebrity host for each of the four nights, including actor Kerry Washington and comedian Mindy Kaling, narrating proceedings in the hall.

John Legend will perform at the convention on Tuesday evening and Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus will host a round table of female Democratic governors.

Speculation is continuing to run rampant that a major star – possibly even Beyonce or Taylor Swift – could appear, too.