Tag: democratic national convention

The Democratic National Convention’s third night is underway.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 shifts 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 Wednesday’s events is “A fight for our freedoms,” 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. Tim Walz speaks at DNC, accepts party vice presidential nominationGov. Tim Walz officially accepted the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nomination on Wednesday.He used his Democratic National Convention address to thank the packed arena for “bringing the joy” to an election transformed by the elevation of his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.“We’re all here tonight for one simple, beautiful reason: We love this country,” Walz said.Walz had been working on his DNC speech for about a week, according to a person familiar with the matter, and has made edits in recent days to make it sound more authentic to his voice.Walz also practiced using a teleprompter for the first time since he was selected as Harris’ running mate as he was looking to use the speech to introduce himself to the American people. John Legend and Sheila E. go crazyJohn Legend and Sheila E. celebrated Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with a rendition of son-of-the-state Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” 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, Hüsker Dü and Prince, who died in 2016.Legend told The Associated Press before the convention, “I’m 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.”He added, “I’m so excited that she’s 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 weren’t excited about.”Buttigieg reflects on progress for American LGBTQ+ familiesButtigieg marveled at the pace of change in the country for LGBTQ+ families, saying it was “impossible” for him to believe 25 years ago that, as a gay man, he could be married with two children.“This kind of life went from impossible to possible — from possible to real — from real to almost ordinary, in less than half a lifetime,” he told the Democratic National Convention. He said it came about because of “the right kind of politics” and encouraged Americans to “choose a better politics. One of hope, of promise, of freedom, of trust. This is what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represent.”Buttigieg: ‘At least Mike Pence was polite!’Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is taking shots at Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, saying, “At least Mike Pence was polite!” Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, said, “JD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life he has in mind for you, then you don’t count.”Buttigieg said Trump’s selection of Vance shows he’s “doubling down on negativity and grievance. A concept of campaigning best summed up in one word: darkness. Darkness is what they are selling.”Oprah directs part of her remarks at independent and undecided votersOprah Winfrey returned to the DNC stage on Wednesday night. Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.The legendary talk show host, on Wednesday, encouraged voters to vote for Kamala Harris and said she was “fired up” about the election after listening to speeches on Wednesday by former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Without actually saying his name, Oprah Winfrey, at multiple points, made no-so-subtle jabs at Trump while also trying to appeal to independent and undecided voters.“We 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 — for him — 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,” Winfrey 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.”Winfrey 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 Democrats’ favorite themes of late, scoffing at Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance having once derided “childless cat ladies” as he argued that Americans should be having more children.Winfrey said that if a burning house belonged to a “childless cat lady,” neighbors would still help and “try to get that cat out too.”Poet Amanda Gorman recites original work ‘The Sacred Scene’“A people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all,” poet Amanda Gorman declared from the Democratic convention stage as she recited an original piece of verse penned for the occasion, “This Sacred Scene.”“While we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all,” Gorman’s poem said. “Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity, that is the American promise powerful and pure.”The 26-year-old earned rare national fame for a modern poet when she read another poem she wrote, “The Hill We Climb,” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden 3 ½ years ago.Gov. Josh Shapiro takes the stagePennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was among Harris’ finalists to be her running mate, is speaking ahead of Walz Wednesday night after the convention rejiggered its schedule. Shapiro says, “We are the party of real freedom,” criticizing Republicans for trying to undermine elections and roll back abortion access.Democrats veer from their prepared scheduleDemocrats 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 president’s brother-in-law Tony West to talk about Harris’s 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 Biden’s address was pushed past 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.‘Uncommitted’ delegates say officials denied their request for a Palestinian to address the conventionDelegates of the “uncommitted” movement, which was sparked by dissatisfaction with President Biden’s 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.“I 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,” Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh said. “I’m waiting for the call.”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. 6The rest of Pelosi’s time on stage has focused on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, where many rioters were targeting the then-speaker and, when they couldn’t find her, ended up trashing her congressional office.“The parable of January 6 reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care,” she said, adding that America must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections. “The choice couldn’t be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.”Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi greeted at the DNC with a standing ovationPelosi, who has been seen as the architect behind Biden’s decision to step down as the nominee, spoke about the president’s achievements before quickly pivoting to the woman who stood by him for the last three and a half years.“Personally, I know her as a person of deep faith, reflected in her community, care and service,” the California Democrat said.Clinton says Trump is fighting for ‘me, myself and I’He told the Democratic convention: “The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies — count the I’s.” Adding some corny humor, Clinton said, “He’s 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.”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 convention’s stage on Monday.Clinton’s a fan of the Golden ArchesClinton is emphasizing Harris’ time working at McDonald’s to emphasize that she’s working to help people like them.“When she was a student, she worked at McDonald’s,” Clinton said. “She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, ‘How can I help you?’ And now, she’s at the pinnacle of power, she’s still asking ‘How can I help you?’”Clinton added: “I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she’ll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s.”Former President Donald Trump is also a frequent consumer of the golden arches’ food.Former President Clinton returns to the DNCFormer 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, “He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work.”Clinton, who left office more than 23 years ago, also cracked jokes about former President Donald Trump’s age — and his own.“I actually turned 78 two days ago,” Clinton said. “The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump.”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.“In 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 ‘an old boyfriend’ who ‘won’t go away’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 “most consequential presidents of all time.” 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 “courageous leader, a compassionate leader and common-sense leader.”Jeffries then spoke on Trump, saying the former president is like “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.”“He has spent the last four years spinning around the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people,” the New York Democrat said. “Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.”Mindy Kaling steps in to host as the DNC enters prime timeMindy 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.“For those of you who don’t know me I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress who you might recognize from “The Office,” “The Mindy Project” or as the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video,” 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 2025Project 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.“Ever seen a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? Here it is,” said Thompson, a Saturday Night Live star, who got his start on the Nickelodeon kids comedy show “All That.”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 aren’t 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.“Everything we just talked about is very real. It is in this book,” Thompson said.“You can stop it from ever happening by electing Kamala Harris,” he concluded.Kenan Thompson pokes fun at Project 2025 Comedian Kenan Thompson brought back the huge “Project 2025” tome as he introduced a bit talking to various Americans who would be impacted by the book’s policies. “You ever see a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time?” 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, “Sorry, Matt!” and the bit continued.Stevie Wonder performs ‘Higher Ground’Stevie Wonder used his keyboard as a podium on the stage of the Democratic convention, giving a brief speech before breaking into “Higher Ground.”“We must choose courage over complacency, it is time to get UP! And go vote.”He asked the audience, “Are y’all ready to reach a higher ground? Because you know we need Kamala Harris.”The 74-year-old musical luminary then broke into his 1973 classic from the album “Innervisions,” 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 ‘would rather subvert democracy than submit to it’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 “about going back to the dark history,” of political violence and racial segregation. “They wanted to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history,” he said. “Thank God they failed.”Thompson warned of what would happen if Trump would once again lose and refuse to accept the results of the election. “He would rather subvert democracy than submit to it. Now he’s plotting to do it again,” he added.Georgia’s former lieutenant governor urges fellow Republicans to ‘dump Trump’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.“Our party is not civil and conservative. It’s chaotic and crazy,” he said of Republicans before urging others to “dump Trump.”Addressing his fellow Republicans, Duncan said, “If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot.”Another former Trump White House official backs HarrisA 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 Trump’s White House was “terrifying” 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. ‘This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand,’ congressman says on stageRep. 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.“Only 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,” Aguilar said. “This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand. All he knows is chaos and division.” Democrats turn their attention to the borderRep. 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.Video below: Hear some of Escobar’s remarks 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.“I just want to let you know that everything you just saw in that video, that’s exactly what happened,” Murphy said. “It would have had unanimous support if it weren’t for Donald Trump.”Singer Maren Morris performs ‘Better Than We Found It’Singer Maren Morris brought her plea for progress “Better Than We Found It” 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.“God save us all from ourselves and the hell that we’ve built for our kids,” she sang. “America, America, We’re better than this.” The song was released in 2020 in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and was viewed as an implicit rejection of former President Trump’s rhetoric.Morris has been a vocal supporter of liberal causes and has publicly sparred with other country music figures on issues including trans rights.She’s 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 releaseJon Polin thanked Biden and Harris for their work trying to secure a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Acknowledging the “agony” of civilians in Gaza as well, he said, “In a competition of pain there are no winners” 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 “civilian suffering” 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 Polins’ speech that “Jewish 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.”The parents of an American hostage in Gaza receive a standing ovationSen. 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 members’ plight.Polin and Goldberg-Polin, wearing a notation that it’s been 320 days since their son was taken captive, received a standing ovation from conventiongoers, who chanted “Bring them home.”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 Hersh’s mother talked about her son’s 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, Hersh’s father told listeners that while he was speaking at the DNC, he doesn’t think releasing the hostages should be a matter of politics.“This is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home, is not a political issue,” he said. “It is a humanitarian issue.”“In 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.“Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive,” she said.A record number of DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+According to the Human Rights Campaign, over 800 DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+ — a record — 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, “I 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.”Voters reminded to pay attention to Congressional races in addition to presidential raceDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene told party faithful it’s not enough to win the White House.“A Democratic Congress is how we turn promises into progress,” 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 decisionFlorida 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 state’s restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 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.“This is Project 2025 in practice,” she says. “It’s what Donald Trump and JD Vance want for the whole country.”The big book is back as Democrats again take aim at Project 2025Prop-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 Walz’s DNC speechIt’s Walz’s 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 Minnesota’s teacher of the year in 2019.Congressman compares Democrats’ immigration stances with that of RepublicansNew York Rep. Tom Suozzi is implicitly contrasting Democrats’ 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 don’t oppose immigration — only those who enter the country illegally — 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.“To be a nation of immigrants is hard,” he said. “You have to work for it.”Democrats appeal to former Trump votersThere are more videos of former Trump supporters no longer backing the GOP nominee being played at the DNC.It’s 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.Harris’ campaign, and Biden’s before that, has been angling to attract Republican support heading into what’s anticipated to be a tight general election campaign.Abortion-rights advocates praise HarrisReproductive justice leaders took the DNC stage to applaud Harris’ 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 — 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.“The people will get to have their say this November,” 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 state’s six-week ban went into effect, of Texas doctors who have sent patients “to wait in hospital parking lots rather than provide the emergency care they need,” and of Idaho hospitals airlifting patients to other states.“We cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said. Oprah Winfrey will make DNC appearanceannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” 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. It’s 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 begunThe third day of the convention has officially been gaveled in by Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey. Day 3 speakers and performersMini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for AllAlexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action FundCecile Richards, reproductive rights activistKelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights CampaignJessica Mackler, president of EMILYs ListMaría Teresa Kumar, Founding President and CEO of Voto LatinoU.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi of New YorkSen. Cory BookerAftab Pureval, mayor of Cincinnati, OhioCavalier Johnson, mayor of Milwaukee, WisconsinRashawn Spivey and Deanna Branch, lead pipe removal advocatesU.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of DelawareU.S. Rep. Grace Meng of New YorkGov. Jared Polis of ColoradoU.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of FloridaSuzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota Dana Nessel, Attorney General of MichiganJon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-PolinMaren Morris (performance)U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of TexasU.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of ConnecticutJavier Salazar, sheriff of Bexar County, TexasPete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic CaucusCarlos Eduardo Espina, content creatorOlivia Troye, a former Trump administration national security officialGeoff Duncan, the former Lieutenant Governor of GeorgiaU.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of MississippiSgt. Aquilino Gonell, retired U.S. Capitol police officerU.S. Rep. Andy Kim of New JerseyOlivia Julianna, content creatorStevie Wonder (performance)Kenan Thompson and Guests on Project 2025Mindy KalingU.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem JeffriesFormer President Bill ClintonSpeaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy PelosiPennsylvania Gov. Josh ShapiroAlexander HudlinJasper EmhoffArden EmhoffU.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of NevadaAmanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate (performance)Gov. Wes Moore of MarylandU.S. Transportation Secretary Pete ButtigiegJohn Legend (performance)Sheila E. (performance)Sen. Amy Klobuchar of MinnesotaBenjamin C. Ingman, a former student of Gov. WalzTim Walz, the governor of Minnesota

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