US Democratic convention ends with unity and warning

Significance

Coming just a month after President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid, the repurposed Democratic National Convention (DNC) largely achieved its goals of energising the party, detaching its campaign strategy from Biden and defining Harris and running mate Tim Walz. However, a central theme was that, despite the candidate change, victory is not assured and much work remains.

Impacts

• Party leaders used the convention’s evening speeches to showcase the party’s next generation of congressional and gubernatorial stars.
• The prominent union presence on the platform and in the hall was meant to help the party in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
• The Trump campaign was unusually quiet during the DNC as it formulated the most effective way to take on the unexpected Harris-Walz ticket.