Four nights of celebration in Chicago produced plenty of highlights for the Democratic Party faithful.
Enthusiasm for Vice President Harris was palpable — even before she took the stage on Thursday night. Her party is desperate to propel her forward after the crisis that culminated in President Biden’s decision to stand aside from his reelection bid.
The biggest names in the Democratic establishment came to Chicago to give their backing to Harris, including Biden, former Presidents Obama and Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Voices of dissent, centered around the conflict in Gaza, made only a modest impression.
Here are the five people who enjoyed the biggest successes at the convention
Kamala Harris
Harris gave one of the more stirring convention addresses of recent years, helped along by a wildly enthusiastic crowd.
Interest in her speech — and in the convention writ large — was heightened because of the sheer human drama by which she became the nominee.
The address was notable for an ostentatious patriotism that seemed designed in part to inure Harris from Republican attacks on her as outside of the American mainstream.
“I see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America,” she said at one point.
She also spoke movingly about her modest upbringing and paid tribute to her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, as “a brilliant, five-foot tall Brown woman with an accent.”
Harris’s mother died from cancer in 2009. “I miss her every day and especially right now,” the vice president said in the opening moments of her speech.
The address also blasted former President Trump as an “unserious man” while suggesting that the consequences of electing him to a second term would be catastrophic on everything from abortion to authoritarianism.
Harris’s reputation took a hit back in 2020 when her campaign for the Democratic nomination proved underwhelming. She later got off to a very unsure start as Biden’s vice president.
But her address capped an extraordinary period of transformation. She leaves Chicago as the narrow frontrunner in national polls of the presidential race.
Michelle Obama
Obama gave perhaps the week’s most outstanding speech — eclipsing even her husband, who immediately followed her.
The former first lady has long displayed her ability as a powerful orator.
Speaking on Tuesday night, she drew a comparison between Harris and former President Obama, saying at the outset of her remarks, “hope is making a comeback.” Former President Obama’s 2008 campaign famously had “hope” as its clarion call.
But Michelle Obama also drew a common thread between herself and Harris, speaking of the unpretentious backgrounds they share. She framed the point in a way that also hammered Trump, without naming him.
Harris “understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth,” Obama said. “If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead.”
The speech had another parallel with Harris’s, too. The former first lady paid tribute to her mother Marian Robinson, who died earlier this year.
The twin speeches from the Obamas were — Harris aside — the high point of the week for many delegates.
Gus Walz
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Harris’s running mate, delivered a strong speech on the penultimate night of the convention.
But it was Walz’s 17-year-old son Gus who stole the show.
Gus Walz grew emotional — as did his sister Hope — as their father spoke about the fertility problems he and his wife Gwen had experienced.
When Tim Walz talked about how much he loved his wife and children, Gus stood up and appeared to say though tears, “I love you, Dad!” and “That’s my Dad!”
The spontaneous moment went viral on social media, drawing overwhelmingly favorable comments from people expressing how moved they were by Gus Walz’s reaction.
Tim and Gwen Walz had told People magazine that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder, anxiety and ADHD.
In a statement to People, the couple said that their son’s condition “is not a setback — it’s his secret power.”
Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey was the big surprise guest on Wednesday night.
The TV legend got a huge welcome in the adopted hometown where she lived during her hit talk show’s long run.
Winfrey called on voters to rally around a vision of “the best of America.”
In her own jab at Trump, she argued that “we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times, people, and they require adult conversation.”
Winfrey also made a direct reference to the battle for reproductive rights, gesturing to her own body as she said, “if you do not have autonomy over this…there is no American dream.”
But more than any soundbite, the speech mainly showcased Winfrey’s extraordinary abilities as a communicator who can connect with a mass audience with ease.
Convention organizers
The convention opened with feelings of foreboding about a historical echo.
The 1968 Democratic convention, also held in Chicago, was disastrous for the party as protesters — primarily motived by opposition to the Vietnam War — clashed violently with police.
But fears that similar scenes could erupt this year over Gaza proved overblown.
There were two main marches for people outraged about the Biden administration’s policies. But the crowds were smaller than expected and disorder minimal.
There was some tension over the organizers’ refusal to let any Palestinian-American speak from the main stage. Activists from the “Uncommitted” movement — which sprang up as a way to register a protest vote over Gaza during the Democratic primary process — held a sit-in at the United Center.
But their effort to change the organizers’ decision did not succeed.
More broadly, the convention overall went smoothly and avoided embarrassing mishaps.
The organizers would have happily accepted that outcome if they were offered it at the outset.
