DNC Day 3: Tim Walz accepts party vice presidential nomination, Bill Clinton tears into Trump
The Democratic National Convention's third night took place Wednesday.
After receiving the blessing of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, the focus on the second to last day of the DNC shifted to Kamala Harris' vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The former school teacher and football coach accepted the Democratic nomination as the party makes the case that Americans' fundamental freedoms are at risk if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
According to convention organizers, the theme for Wednesdayâs events was âA fight for our freedoms,â a message that has become the centerpiece of Harris' campaign as the Democrat has sought to paint a second Trump presidency as a threat to Americans' ability to make choices about their own lives.
Read live updates from Day 3 of the DNC below.
Day 3 has ended
The third day of the Democratic National Convention has concluded as Sen. Corey Booker gaveled out the proceedings.
Walz is rockinâ in the free world
As Walz wrapped his speech to wild applause, his walk-off song âRockinâ in the Free Worldâ played. The classic rock fan selected the song, according to a campaign aide, and rocker Neil Young signed off on its use.
Young famously sued Trump for using the song at his campaign rallies without permission.
Walz gives the pep talk of a lifetime: âThere will be time to sleep when youâre deadâ
Walz, a former football coach, is giving Democrats a âpep talkâ in his remarks, saying, âLet me finish with this, team. Itâs the fourth quarter. Weâre down a field goal. But weâre on offense and weâve got the ball.â
He said they have to do the âblocking and tackling,â making phone calls and knocking on doors over the next 76 days. âThere will be time to sleep when youâre dead,â he says.
Video below: Hear Walz's DNC speech
Walz touched on he and his wifeâs struggle with infertility
âIf youâve never experienced infertility, I guarantee you know someone who has.â His son Gus began crying in the crowd in response.
In introducing himself to voters as Harrisâ running mate, Walz has made his familyâs struggle with fertility a central part of his narrative, a tangible way to connect with voters alarmed at the erosion of reproductive rights in the U.S.
But Gwen Walz on Tuesday that detailed the experience more comprehensively and disclosed that they relied on a different process known as intrauterine insemination, or IUI.
Walz isnât Minnesotaâs first âHappy Warriorâ
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has cultivated a âhappy warriorâ political persona. But heâs not the first Democratic vice presidential nominee from Minnesota to do so.
That honor would go to Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon Johnsonâs vice president, who channeled his Midwestern earnestness into becoming a foil for Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater during the 1964 campaign.
Itâs a role Humphrey relished, once taunting the arch-conservative Goldwater as someone who âwouldnât vote yes for Motherâs Day.â Humphrey was also quite effective, repeatedly drawing attacks from Goldwater â while diverting them away from Johnson.
Walz, who exudes âdadâ vibes and Midwestern politeness, is no slouch himself. He coined one of the buzziest phrases of the campaign, âweird,â which helped elevate him from political unknown to the position he now holds.
Walz: âNever underestimate a public school teacherâ
Walz begins his speech by talking about his small-town upbringing in Butte, Nebraska, where not everyone believed the same thing or loved the same way, but says, âEverybody belongs, and everybody has a responsibility to contribute.â
Walz went through his professional resuming, starting with his work as a high school teacher and coach. âIt was those players and my students who inspired me to run for Congress,â he said. âI learned how to work across the aisle on issues like growing the rural economies and taking care of veterans.â
Walz said, âNever underestimate a public school teacher,â as he describes how he won a seat in Congress after a career as a teacher with no prior political experience.
Midwest is best
The sentiment shared by the speakers who are previewing Tim Walz at the DNC could be summed up with a single phrase: Midwest is best.
That oft-repeated phrase in the central U.S. is a key element of his biography.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar highlighted his everyman qualities, handiness and ruggedness as a Midwesterner who knows how to brave the elements.
âIn Minnesota, we trust a hunter who has stood in a deer stand in 10-degree weather,â Klobuchar said.
Members of the championship Mankato high school football team talked about his willingness to pull out people stuck in the snow.
Calling Walz a âdad in plaid,â Klobuchar pointed to Walzâs tenure representing a conservative-leaning congressional district.
It all emphasized the fabled Midwestern values of pragmatism, earnestness and honesty.
Gov. Tim Walz takes the stage
The delegates that fill the convention center are waving hundreds of âCoach Walzâ signs as âSmall Townâ by John Mellencamp plays in the background.
Walzâs championship football team suits up for their former coach
Members of Tim Walzâs state championship football team took the stage at the DNC while the Marineâs Hymn played in the background, minutes before the Minnesota governor accepted the vice presidential nomination.
Amy Klobuchar goes all in on Midwestern niceties
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who hails from Walzâs state of Minnesota, made the case for Walz as the âdad in plaid.â
âI donât know who better to take on JD Vance than a guy who could pull over to help change your tire,â Klobuchar said. âWho better to serve our nation than a guy who has served in uniform?â
She added,â Who better to find common ground than a guy with Midwestern common sense?â
âIn Minnesota, we trust a hunter who has stood in a deer stand in 10-degree weather,â Klobuchar said.
John Legend and Sheila E. 'go crazy'
John Legend and Sheila E. celebrated Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with a rendition of son-of-the-state Princeâs âLetâs Go Crazyâ at the Democratic convention.
Legend started at the piano and the onetime Prince collaborator Sheila E. started at her signature standing percussion set before each grabbed a mic and rocked with a band at the center of the stage, tearing through the purple tune for an audience of blue delegates.
Walz has gushed about the music of Minnesota, expressing his affection for Bob Dylan, the Replacements, HĂŒsker DĂŒ and Prince, who died in 2016.
Legend told The Associated Press before the convention, âIâm trying to do what I can to help protect our democracy and have someone with a really positive vision for the future elected. And I think Kamala is the right person.â
He added, âIâm so excited that sheâs infused so much energy into the campaign and that young people and so many people that I think felt concerned that they had to pick between two choices they werenât excited about.â
Buttigieg reflects on progress for American LGBTQ+ families
Buttigieg marveled at the pace of change in the country for LGBTQ+ families, saying it was âimpossibleâ for him to believe 25 years ago that, as a gay man, he could be married with two children.
âThis kind of life went from impossible to possible â from possible to real â from real to almost ordinary, in less than half a lifetime,â he told the Democratic National Convention. He said it came about because of âthe right kind of politicsâ and encouraged Americans to âchoose a better politics. One of hope, of promise, of freedom, of trust. This is what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represent.â
Buttigieg: âAt least Mike Pence was polite!â
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is taking shots at Donald Trumpâs running mate, JD Vance, saying, âAt least Mike Pence was polite!â Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, said, âJD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you donât live the life he has in mind for you, then you donât count.â
Buttigieg said Trumpâs selection of Vance shows heâs âdoubling down on negativity and grievance. A concept of campaigning best summed up in one word: darkness. Darkness is what they are selling.â
Oprah directs part of her remarks at independent and undecided voters
Without actually saying his name, Oprah, at multiple points, made no-so-subtle jabs at Trump while also trying to appeal to independent and undecided voters.
âWe are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery," she said of Trump, before referencing a recent comment he made to supporters about only having to vote once more â for him â and never again.
"There's a certain candidate that says if we just go to the polls this one time, we'll never have to do it again," Oprah later said. " Well, you know what? You're looking at a registered independent who is proud to vote again and again and again because I'm an American and that's what Americans do. Voting is the best of America."
Oprah said she has "always voted my values," and specifically called on independent and undecided voters to do the same.
Winfrey, who long hosted her signature talk show from Chicago, also picked up on one of Democratsâ favorite themes of late, scoffing at Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance having once derided âchildless cat ladiesâ as he argued that Americans should be having more children.
Winfrey said that if a burning house belonged to a âchildless cat lady,â neighbors would still help and âtry to get that cat out too.â
Oprah gets a standing O
Oprah Winfrey returned to the DNC stage on Wednesday night, 16 years after she delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.
It was previously revealed that Winfrey would make a convention appearance on Wednesday night, but it wasnât clear what she would be doing, or whether she would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
âGood evening everybody!â Winfrey shouted in tones she once used to open her talk show, and proceeded with a speech to a crowd in her hometown Chicago.
âWhat weâre going to do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,â she said.
Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama, her fellow Chicagoan, during his 2008 presidential campaign.
âWho says you canât go home again?â she said Wednesday night.
Poet Amanda Gorman recites original work âThe Sacred Sceneâ
âA people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all,â poet declared from the Democratic convention stage as she recited an original piece of verse penned for the occasion, âThis Sacred Scene.â
âWhile we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all,â Gormanâs poem said. âEmpathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity, that is the American promise powerful and pure.â
The 26-year-old earned rare national fame for a modern poet when she read another poem she wrote, âThe Hill We Climb,â at the inauguration of President Joe Biden 3 œ years ago.
Gov. Josh Shapiro takes the stage
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was among Harrisâ finalists to be her running mate, is speaking ahead of Walz Wednesday night after the convention rejiggered its schedule. Shapiro says, âWe are the party of real freedom,â criticizing Republicans for trying to undermine elections and roll back abortion access.
Democrats veer from their prepared schedule
Democrats appear to be ditching their prepared schedule, passing over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and adding former Harris staffer Lateefah Simon, now an Oakland congressional candidate, and the vice presidentâs brother-in-law Tony West to talk about Harrisâs biography.
It remains to be seen if the convention will cut additional speakers to avoid running well over time like it did on Monday night when President Joe Bidenâs address was pushed past 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.
âUncommittedâ delegates say officials denied their request for a Palestinian to address the convention
Delegates of the âuncommittedâ movement, which was sparked by dissatisfaction with President Bidenâs handling of the Israel-Hamas war, announced to reporters at the DNC late Wednesday that officials denied their request for a Palestinian to speak during the convention.
The group of 36 delegates have outsized influence as they stem from pivotal battleground states like Michigan.
âI have asked for the vice president to call us back and tell us that the suppression of Palestinian Americans does not belong in the Democratic party and a Palestinian speaker will speak on this stage,â Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh said. âIâm waiting for the call.â
The development comes shortly after the parents of an American who is being kept hostage in Gaza by Hamas spoke at the DNC, urging the release of the hostages and the need for a cease-fire.
Pelosi recalls Jan. 6
The rest of Pelosiâs time on stage has focused on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, where many rioters were targeting the then-speaker and, when they couldnât find her, ended up trashing her congressional office.
âThe parable of January 6 reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care,â she said, adding that America must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections. âThe choice couldnât be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.â
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi greeted at the DNC with a standing ovation
Pelosi, who has been seen as the architect behind Bidenâs decision to step down as the nominee, spoke about the presidentâs achievements before quickly pivoting to the woman who stood by him for the last three and a half years.
âPersonally, I know her as a person of deep faith, reflected in her community, care and service,â the California Democrat said.
Clinton says Trump is fighting for âme, myself and Iâ
He told the Democratic convention: âThe next time you hear him, donât count the lies â count the Iâs.â Adding some corny humor, Clinton said, âHeâs like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage trying to get his lungs open by saying: me, me, me, me. When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you.â
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first daughter Chelsea Clinton watched from the arena was the former president spoke.
Former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who once secured the Democratic nomination for president in a race against Donald Trump, spoke on the conventionâs stage on Monday.
Clintonâs a fan of the Golden Arches
Clinton is emphasizing Harrisâ time working at McDonaldâs to emphasize that sheâs working to help people like them.
âWhen she was a student, she worked at McDonaldâs,â Clinton said. âShe greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, âHow can I help you?â And now, sheâs at the pinnacle of power, sheâs still asking âHow can I help you?ââ
Clinton added: âIâll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, sheâll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonaldâs.â
Former President Donald Trump is also a frequent consumer of the golden archesâ food.
Former President Clinton returns to the DNC
Former President Bill Clinton said President Joe Biden has, like George Washington, enhanced his legacy by deciding to leave office. Praising Biden at the start of his Democratic National Convention speech, Clinton said of Biden, âHe healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work.â
Clinton, who left office more than 23 years ago, also cracked jokes about former President Donald Trumpâs age â and his own.
âI actually turned 78 two days ago,â Clinton said. âThe only personal vanity I want to assert is that Iâm still younger than Donald Trump.â
He did not mention that Biden, 81, is older than both of them.
Clinton, the nation's 42nd president and a veteran of his party's political convention going back decades, drew a contrast between Harris and Trump.
âIn 2024, we got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me: Kamala Harris for The People, and the other guy who's proved even more than the first go around that he's about me, myself and I," Clinton said. "I know which one like better for our country."
Hakeem Jeffries casts Trump as âan old boyfriendâ who âwonât go awayâ
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his speech Wednesday night with a nod to President Biden, saying he would go down as one of the âmost consequential presidents of all time.â But Jeffries, who if Democrats win back the House in November would become the first Black speaker, quickly pivoted to the new nominee, saying Harris is a âcourageous leader, a compassionate leader and common-sense leader.â
Jeffries then spoke on Trump, saying the former president is like âan old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just wonât go away.â
âHe has spent the last four years spinning around the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people,â the New York Democrat said. âBro, we broke up with you for a reason.â
Mindy Kaling steps in to host as the DNC enters prime time
Mindy Kaling is the celebrity host of the prime-time hours of night three of the Democratic convention, and she touted her ties to Vice President Kamala Harris as she introduced herself.
âFor those of you who donât know me I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress who you might recognize from âThe Office,â âThe Mindy Projectâ or as the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video,â Kaling said.
The actor, comedian and screenwriter from Massachusetts is the daughter of immigrants from India, and she and Harris made masala dosa together in a video four years ago.
Democrats keep hammering Republicans about Project 2025
Project 2025, the policy document that some conservatives had hoped would serve as a blueprint for a future Trump administration, keeps getting lots of camera time at the Democratic convention.
On Wednesday, it was comedian Kenan Thompson who toted the book on stage.
âEver seen a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? Here it is,â said Thompson, a Saturday Night Live star, who got his start on the Nickelodeon kids comedy show âAll That.â
Trump and his campaign have repeatedly sought to distance themselves from Project 2025. But the document, which is hundreds of pages long and written by Trump allies and officials in his administration, has continued to dog him.
And Democrats arenât about to stop.
Among the proposals included in the document are far more stringent abortion restrictions. The authors also want to dramatically downsize the federal government and give the president the authority to replace tens of thousands of workers with loyalists.
âEverything we just talked about is very real. It is in this book,â Thompson said.
âYou can stop it from ever happening by electing Kamala Harris,â he concluded.
Kenan Thompson pokes fun at Project 2025
Comedian Kenan Thompson brought back the huge âProject 2025â tome as he introduced a bit talking to various Americans who would be impacted by the bookâs policies. âYou ever see a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time?â he said.
But as he began, tech issues prevented Thompson from going through with the bit with a Nevada delegate named Matt. After several seconds of trying to fix the problem, Thompson moved on to the next delegate, saying, âSorry, Matt!â and the bit continued.
Stevie Wonder performs âHigher Groundâ
Stevie Wonder used his keyboard as a podium on the stage of the Democratic convention, giving a brief speech before breaking into âHigher Ground.â
âWe must choose courage over complacency, it is time to get UP! And go vote.â
He asked the audience, âAre yâall ready to reach a higher ground? Because you know we need Kamala Harris.â
The 74-year-old musical luminary then broke into his 1973 classic from the album âInnervisions,â accompanied by a DJ and dancers clad in white.
Wonder also sang at the 2008 convention in Denver that brought the nomination of Barack Obama.
Former Jan. 6 committee chairman says Trump âwould rather subvert democracy than submit to itâ
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., spoke Wednesday night about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The former chairman of the Jan. 6 committee warned at the convention âabout going back to the dark history,â of political violence and racial segregation. âThey wanted to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history,â he said. âThank God they failed.â
Thompson warned of what would happen if Trump would once again lose and refuse to accept the results of the election. âHe would rather subvert democracy than submit to it. Now heâs plotting to do it again,â he added.
Georgiaâs former lieutenant governor urges fellow Republicans to âdump Trumpâ
Geoff Duncan, the former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, is eliciting a raucous response from Democrats in the convention hall as he lays into Donald Trump.
âOur party is not civil and conservative. Itâs chaotic and crazy,â he said of Republicans before urging others to âdump Trump.â
Addressing his fellow Republicans, Duncan said, âIf you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 youâre not a Democrat, youâre a patriot.â
Another former Trump White House official backs Harris
A former Trump administration White House official said she made the right decision when she quit her job.
Olivia Troye told the Democratic National Convention that being in Trumpâs White House was âterrifyingâ but what truly keeps her up at night is the possibility of the former president reclaiming the office.
Troye said the traditional values that she says made her a Republican growing up are the same values that have led her to support Harris for president.
Turning to her fellow Republicans, she said a vote for Harris is not a vote for a Democrat but rather a vote for democracy.
âThis is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand,â congressman says on stage
Rep. Pete Aguilar, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, said that Trump is a threat to the values his immigrant family grew up with in Southern California.
âOnly Kamala Harris and Tim Walls will protect the American dream so that every family can earn a living, own a home, and reach their full potential,â Aguilar said. âThis is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand. All he knows is chaos and division.â
Democrats turn their attention to the border
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who served as a surrogate to the then-Biden campaign, kicked off what will be a series of speeches Wednesday night focused on immigration and security at the U.S. border with Mexico.
After a video played showing Republican opposition to a bipartisan border deal earlier this year, Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut took the stage. Murphy was the top Democrat negotiating the proposal with conservative senators.
âI just want to let you know that everything you just saw in that video, thatâs exactly what happened,â Murphy said. âIt would have had unanimous support if it werenât for Donald Trump.â
Singer Maren Morris performs âBetter Than We Found Itâ
Singer Maren Morris brought her plea for progress âBetter Than We Found Itâ to the convention.
The Grammy winner from Arlington, Texas, has been leaning more toward pop recently but struck a decidedly country tone on the stage at the United Center.
âGod save us all from ourselves and the hell that weâve built for our kids,â she sang. âAmerica, America, Weâre better than this.â The song was released in 2020 in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and was viewed as an implicit rejection of former President Trumpâs rhetoric.
Morris has been a vocal supporter of liberal causes and has publicly on issues including trans rights.
Sheâs also set to be among the performers at a 100th birthday celebration for former President Jimmy Carter next month.
Also expected onstage are music icon Stevie Wonder and legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who gave a critical endorsement of then-Sen. Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Poet Amanda Gorman was also set to take the stage.
Family of hostage in Gaza calls for a cease-fire and hostage release
Jon Polin thanked Biden and Harris for their work trying to secure a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Acknowledging the âagonyâ of civilians in Gaza as well, he said, âIn a competition of pain there are no winnersâ and called for a swift agreement to free the hostages and stop the fighting in Gaza.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has been a staunch critic of Israel as it has responded to the Oct. 7 attack, was seen at the convention clapping as the parents of the Israeli hostage spoke about the need to not only bring back hostages but to end the âcivilian sufferingâ in Gaza.
Halie Soifer, the head of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and former national security advisor to Harris when she was senator, said in a statement Wednesday after the Polinsâ speech that âJewish Americans are proud to stand with Vice President Harris because she stands with us on every issue, including strong support of the US-Israel relationship.â
The parents of an American hostage in Gaza receive a standing ovation
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced his constituents, Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who has been held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
They were among the family members of six American hostages in attendance in Chicago to raise awareness about their family membersâ plight.
Polin and Goldberg-Polin, wearing a notation that itâs been 320 days since their son was taken captive, received a standing ovation from conventiongoers, who chanted âBring them home.â
While the Polins spoke, the camera cut to the various people in the room who were shedding tears for the parents.
It comes after Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, were given a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention last month.
After Hershâs mother talked about her sonâs love of travel, geography, music and music festivals, she described the events of Oct. 7 and the injuries her son sustained before being taken hostage.
As he spoke, Hershâs father told listeners that while he was speaking at the DNC, he doesnât think releasing the hostages should be a matter of politics.
âThis is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home, is not a political issue,â he said. âIt is a humanitarian issue.â
âIn a competition of pain there are no winners," Polin added.
Both Polin and Goldberg-Polin spoke of the other hostages and hostage families.
In an emotional moment, Goldberg-Polin closed the speech with a message for her son.
âHersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive,â she said.
A record number of DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+
According to the Human Rights Campaign, over 800 DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+ â a record â and over 50 identify as trans or nonbinary.
During her speech, Dana Nessel, Michigan's attorney general and an openly gay woman, spoke about LGBTQ+ rights. In addition to other remarks, Nessel declared, âI got a message for the Republicans and the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand.â
Voters reminded to pay attention to Congressional races in addition to presidential race
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene told party faithful itâs not enough to win the White House.
âA Democratic Congress is how we turn promises into progress,â she says, which would enable Harris and Walz to enact their policy agenda. Democrats only need to pick up a handful of seats to retake the majority in the House from Republicans.
Wasserman Schultz talks about the repercussions of the Dobbs decision
Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was also bumped from the program on Monday, is getting a chance to address the convention Wednesday night.
The former DNC chair is using her remarks to highlight the story of a Florida woman who, because of the stateâs restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Courtâs overturning of Roe v. Wade, was forced to carry to term a child with a fatal illness, only to watch the newborn die just hours after birth.
âThis is Project 2025 in practice,â she says. âItâs what Donald Trump and JD Vance want for the whole country.â
Video below: DNC highlights importance of women voters for the Harris-Walz campaign
The big book is back as Democrats again take aim at Project 2025
Prop-politics is back as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is taking a page from an oversized printed copy of the conservative Project 2025, saying he wants to share it with undecided voters. Polis says the plan would jeopardize IVF and only values heterosexual couples where the man holds a job. Project 2025 was developed by Trump supporters but has been formally disavowed by the GOP nominee.
Minnesota connections abound ahead of Walzâs DNC speech
Itâs Walzâs night at the DNC, and there are lots of touchstones to the Minnesota governor sprinkled throughout the programming.
Harris-Walz campaign officials note that elementary students from Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, were tasked with leading the Pledge of Allegiance. According to the campaign, those students benefited from the free breakfast and lunch program that Walz signed into law as Minnesota governor.
Also, the campaign says the national anthem was sung by Jess Davis, a mathematics teacher selected as Minnesotaâs teacher of the year in 2019.
Congressman compares Democrats' immigration stances with that of Republicans
New York Rep. Tom Suozzi is implicitly contrasting Democratsâ stance on immigration with Republicans.
The Republican convention last month was dominated by calls to shut down the southern border and ratchet down admissions to the U.S. And though Republicans say they donât oppose immigration â only those who enter the country illegally â Trump also tightly limited immigration during his presidency.
Souzzi pointed out that the U.S. has long been a nation of immigrants, including his own relatives who came from Italy.
âTo be a nation of immigrants is hard,â he said. âYou have to work for it.â
Democrats appeal to former Trump voters
There are more videos of former Trump supporters no longer backing the GOP nominee being played at the DNC.
Itâs a theme to which convention programming has been returning throughout the week, perhaps aimed at other former Trump backers now looking for a new political home.
Harrisâ campaign, and Bidenâs before that, has been angling to attract Republican support heading into whatâs anticipated to be a tight general election campaign.
Abortion-rights advocates praise Harris
Reproductive justice leaders took the DNC stage to applaud Harrisâ long history as an abortion rights advocate.
Mini Timmaraju, president of the national reproductive rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, highlighted states where abortion rights will be on the ballot this year, including Arizona and Montana â the latest states where voters will be able to decide in November whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitutions.
âThe people will get to have their say this November,â she said.
Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood, told the stories of a Georgia woman who drove to South Carolina for abortion care but arrived the day the stateâs six-week ban went into effect, of Texas doctors who have sent patients âto wait in hospital parking lots rather than provide the emergency care they need,â and of Idaho hospitals airlifting patients to other states.
âWe cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,â she said.
Oprah Winfrey will make DNC appearanceannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,â she said.
Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey will appear at the DNC on Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.
Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign. Itâs not yet clear whether she will endorse Harris, who is vying to become the first Black woman elected president.
Day 3 of the DNC has begun
The third day of the convention has officially been gaveled in by Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey.
Day 3 speakers and performers
- Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All
- Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund
- Cecile Richards, reproductive rights activist
- Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign
- Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List
- MarĂa Teresa Kumar, Founding President and CEO of Voto Latino
- U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York
- Sen. Cory Booker
- Aftab Pureval, mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cavalier Johnson, mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Rashawn Spivey and Deanna Branch, lead pipe removal advocates
- U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware
- U.S. Rep. Grace Meng of New York
- Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado
- U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida
- Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota
- Dana Nessel, Attorney General of Michigan
- Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin
- Maren Morris (performance)
- U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas
- U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut
- Javier Salazar, sheriff of Bexar County, Texas
- Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus
- Carlos Eduardo Espina, content creator
- Olivia Troye, a former Trump administration national security official
- Geoff Duncan, the former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
- U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi
- Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, retired U.S. Capitol police officer
- U.S. Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey
- Olivia Julianna, content creator
- Stevie Wonder (performance)
- Kenan Thompson and Guests on Project 2025
- Mindy Kaling
- U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
- Alexander Hudlin
- Jasper Emhoff
- Arden Emhoff
- U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
- Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate (performance)
- Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
- John Legend (performance)
- Sheila E. (performance)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Benjamin C. Ingman, a former student of Gov. Walz
- Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota