The pep rally is coming to an end as Democrats continue to run a truncated race to the election. Vice President Kamala Harris is accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president Thursday night in Chicago, the final day of the convention.
Dallas Congressman Colin Allred, who is challenging Republican Ted Cruz for his Senate seat, will speak to delegates and support Harris on Thursday.
Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter Lexi was one of the 19 students killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022, will also speak to the convention delegates.
In 2023, Mata-Rubio unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Uvalde after the incumbent stepped down to run for a seat in the Texas Legislature. She continues her efforts as an advocate for stronger gun control.
Other highlights to watch for Thursday, the fourth and final night, include:
- Interior secretary Deb Haaland
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan
- Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina (Kelly, Whitmer and Cooper were all considered to be possible vice presidential picks for Harris)
- Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a Republican who broke with his party on impeaching former President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol
- Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, the first Gen Z member of Congress
- Former Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona, Kelly's wife, gun violence survivor and advocate
The main programming at the DNC is expected to run from around 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. CT. TPR will offer live coverage starting at 8 p.m. CT.
So far, speakers, including vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, have sought to persuade undecided voters, while others, including the Obamas, fired up the base.
President Joe Biden got a hero’s welcome on Monday, the first night of the Democratic National Convention, as he passed the torch to Harris, NPR reported.
“I made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you for 50 years,” Biden told the cheering Chicago crowd that gave him a five-minute standing ovation. At the beginning, his attempts to speak were repeatedly drowned out by cheers and chants of “thank you, Joe.”
