What Kamala Harris Needs to Accomplish Tonight at the DNC

As the Democratic National Convention got underway in Chicago, there were pretty clearly four overriding objectives that Kamala Harris and her team needed to accomplish: (1) Keep up the enthusiasm and momentum she had generated since she became the presumptive nominee; (2) execute a clean turn of the page from Joe Biden’s leadership that left Harris as a credible candidate of “safe change” from the stale Biden-Trump contest of the past; (3) remind voters of the “unsafe change” represented by Trump and J.D. Vance; and (4) avoid distractions, whether it was from protesters or errors in executing the convention plan.

➽ Before Democratic nominee Kamala Harris speaks tonight, another slate of heavy hitters will sing her praises, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

➽ “Over the past three days, the DNC has flexed its unmatched ability to attract star power, featuring appearances from Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder and Spike Lee. But as the convention draws to a close, speculation has grown as to whether the party is saving its biggest surprise for last as Harris is set to accept the presidential nomination Thursday evening. The top theory on the minds of viewers and attendees is Beyoncé.” —Nia Prater

➽ “Uncommitted delegates are still waiting to hear if DNC organizers will allow a Palestinian-American to speak during the final day of the convention. Members of the delegation and allies staged a sit-in after being told yesterday that the DNC would not heed their request — but there’s still a little time for convention organizers to change their minds.” —Sarah Jones

➽ Follow along tonight with the Intelligencer liveblog.

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