Several prominent Democratic figures are set to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this month, two sources familiar with the plans told NBC News.
President Joe Biden, former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been confirmed as speakers at the convention. Obama and the Clintons delivered speeches during the 2020 DNC, which was largely held virtually to prevent the spread of Covid-19 amid the pandemic.
A source familiar said that former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason Carter is also confirmed to be speaking as a representative for his grandfather.
The convention, which is scheduled for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, takes place weeks after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race following widespread calls from Democrats to drop out after his disastrous June debate performance against former President Donald Trump. His campaign suffered major losses in donations and some backers withdrew their support for the president amid the fallout.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran unopposed for the Democratic presidential nomination after Biden dropped out of the race, secured the majority of delegate votes to win the nomination during the virtual voting process earlier this month. The Harris campaign last week announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Harris, who is the first Black woman and first Indian American in U.S. history to secure a major party’s presidential nomination, will formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination at the convention.
The momentum leading up to the convention has surged since Harris announced her presidential campaign last month, with a significant increase in requests for entry into the main event space at the United Center and other convention-related events in the city, people close to the convention and event planning told NBC News.
The Harris campaign raised a historic $310 million last month, and $36 million in the 24 hours after she announced Walz as her running mate.
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