President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at a rally in Charlotte. (Getty)
The 2016 Democratic National Convention will be held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia from July 25 to July 28. The event is expected to end with a woman becoming a major party’s nominee for the first time in American history after Hillary Clinton won the most delegates during the primary season. The Democratic Party released the schedule for the event.
This year’s convention is the earliest since the 2004 Boston convention, which was also held in July. The 2012 convention in Charlotte was held in September, while the 2008 Denver convention was held in August. Every convention has a permanent chairperson, a position filled by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2012 and Nancy Pelosi in 2008.
The party will also agree on a platform, which is usually an easy process. It won’t be like that this time, since Clinton’s rival for the nomination, Bernie Sanders, plans to play a major role in shaping the party’s future. He even requested to hold a rally on the eve of the convention, although that request was denied. The draft for the Democratic platform can be found here. There will still be some added tension at the DNC after WikiLeaks released Democratic National Committee emails that showed the DNC was favoring Clinton over Sanders during the primary process.
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. (Getty)
Here’s the headliners for the DNC. You can see the full day-by-day schedule here.
Monday, July 25
Theme: United Together
First Lady Michelle Obama
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
DREAMer Astrid Silva
Congressman Keith Ellison (Minnesota)
National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia
Congressman Raul Grijalva (Arizona)
House Speaker Tina Kotek (Oregon) and Candidates of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
SEIU President Mary Kay Henry
Congressman Joe Kennedy (Massachusetts)
Chair of the Democratic Governors Association Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy
Building Trades President Sean McGarvey
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Oregon)
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (California) and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
AFSCME President Lee Saunders
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten
Tuesday, July 26
Theme: A Lifetime of Fighting for Children and Families
Former President Bill Clinton
The Mothers of the Movement – This is a group of mothers whose sons were killed and whose deaths inspired the Black Lives Matter movement. The mothers who will speak at the DNC are Gwen Carr, Mother of Eric Garner; Sybrina Fulton, Mother of Trayvon Martin; Maria Hamilton, Mother of Dontré Hamilton; Lucia McBath, Mother of Jordan Davis; Lezley McSpadden, Mother of Michael Brown; Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley, Mother of Hadiya Pendleton; and Geneva Reed-Veal, Mother of Sandra Bland.
Democratic National Committee Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation Donna Brazile
Former State Senator Jason Carter (Georgia)
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (California) and the Democratic Women of the House
Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards
Wednesday, July 27
Theme: Working Together
President Barack Obama
Vice President Joe Biden
Congressman GK Butterfield and members of the Congressional Black Caucus
Congresswoman Judy Chu (California) and members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
NARAL President Ilyse Hogue
Rear Admiral John Hutson (Ret. USN)
Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson
Congressman Ben Ray Lujan and candidates of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Former Congressman and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta
Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey
EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock
Center for American Progress Action Fund President Neera Tanden
Also, The New York Times reports that former New York Mayor and media mogul Michael Bloomberg will endorse Hillary Clinton with a speech on Wednesday during the convention Wednesday night.
Thursday, July 28
Theme: Stronger Together
Chelsea Clinton
Hillary Clinton
General John Allen (ret. USMC), former Commander, International Security Assistance Forces, and Commander, United States Forces – Afghanistan
Candidates of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
President of the Human Rights Campaign Chad Griffin
League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski
Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (New York) and LGBT rights activist Sarah McBride
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (Maryland) and the Democratic Women of the Senate
Here’s the list of other speakers, via the DNC site.
State Representative Raumesh Akbari (Tennessee)
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (Ohio)
Congressman Xavier Becerra (California)
Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin
Senator Cory Booker (New Jersey)
Senator Barbara Boxer (California)
Congressman Brendan Boyle (Pennsylvania)
Congressman Bob Brady (Pennsylvania)
Governor Jerry Brown (California)
Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio)
Senator Bob Casey (Pennsylvania)
Congressman Joaquin Castro (Texas)
Congressman James Clyburn (South Carolina)
Congressman Joseph Crowley (New York)
Governor Andrew Cuomo (New York)
Governor Mark Dayton (Minnesota)
Former Governor Howard Dean (Vermont)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
Majority Leader State Representative Crisanta Duran (Colorado)
Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (New Mexico)
Chillicothe, OH Mayor Luke Feeney
State Representative Peggy Flanagan (Minnesota)
Senator Al Franken (Minnesota)
Congressman Ruben Gallego (Arizona)
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords & Captain Mark Kelly (Arizona)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (New York)
Tallahassee, FL Mayor Andrew Gillum
Former Governor Jennifer Granholm (Michigan)
Congressman Luis Gutierrez (Illinois)
Former Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa)
Democratic State Party Chair Jaime Harrison (South Carolina)
Governor John Hickenlooper (Colorado)
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas)
Senator Tim Kaine (Virginia)
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney
State Senator Ruben Kihuen (Nevada)
Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)
Congressman Ted Lieu (California)
Congresswoman Nita Lowey (New York)
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (Kentucky)
Governor Terry McAuliffe (Virginia)
Congresswoman Gwen Moore (Wisconsin)
Senator Chris Murphy (Connecticut)
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom (California)
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (Washington, DC)
Former Governor Martin O’Malley (Maryland)
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nevada)
Congressman Adam Schiff (California)
Senator Chuck Schumer (New York)
Former State Representative Bakari Sellers (South Carolina)
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire)
State Senator Pat Spearman (Nevada)
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
Senator Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts)
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (California)
Flint, MI Mayor Karen Weaver
Governor Tom Wolf (Pennsylvania)
