2020 Democratic National Convention

2020 Democratic National Convention
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Name	2020 Democratic National Convention
Date	August 17–20, 2020
Venue	Various locations (primarily virtual)
City	Milwaukee, Wisconsin (host city designation)
Chair	Tom Perez (Democratic National Committee)
Theme	"Uniting America" (selected themes)
Candidates	Joe Biden, Kamala Harris
Nomination	Joe Biden (presumptive nominee), Kamala Harris (vice presidential nominee)

2020 Democratic National Convention

The 2020 Democratic National Convention was the quadrennial nominating event of the Democratic Party held August 17–20, 2020, principally to nominate Joe Biden for President of the United States and Kamala Harris for Vice President of the United States. Originally scheduled for July 13–16, 2020, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the convention was substantially restructured into a largely virtual series of events because of the COVID-19 pandemic and public health guidance from entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state officials in Wisconsin.

Background and planning

Planning involved coordination among the Democratic National Committee, the City of Milwaukee, the State of Wisconsin, and convention producers with input from political figures including Tom Perez, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar. Bids and site-selection discussions had considered cities like Atlanta, Houston, Miami, and Denver before the selection of Milwaukee, which echoed the 2004 Republican National Convention in terms of Midwestern strategic importance. Public health developments such as the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 prompted consultations with officials from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Governor Tony Evers, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Labor organizations such as the AFL–CIO, Service Employees International Union, and United Auto Workers were engaged for logistics and program input. The convention’s planning intersected with ongoing political events including the aftermath of the 2019–2020 Democratic presidential primary involving Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Beto O'Rourke, Michael Bloomberg, and Tulsi Gabbard.

Format and virtual adaptations

Faced with risk assessments from Johns Hopkins University, recommendations from the World Health Organization, and state emergency orders, organizers converted keynote sessions and roll call votes to pre-recorded and live-streamed segments, leveraging platforms tied to YouTube, Twitter, and broadcast partners like NBCUniversal, CBS News, ABC News, and CNN. The convention incorporated appearances from venues such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Lincoln Memorial, Independence Hall, Graceland, and private residences including those of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. Technological partners including companies comparable to Microsoft, Amazon (company), Facebook, and production firms involved union crews from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and broadcasters' technical staff such as those represented by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Security coordination involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement including the Milwaukee Police Department and the United States Secret Service. Adaptations also included remote roll call voting mechanisms referencing procedures similar to those used by the United Nations General Assembly and state party conventions like the California Democratic Party.

Schedule and program highlights

Across four nights, programming featured speeches from national and statewide figures: opening remarks by Tom Perez and party leadership; primetime addresses by Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and the nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Other notable speakers included Gavin Newsom, Andrew Cuomo, Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Stacey Abrams, Julian Castro, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris (prior to nomination), Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and advocates from organizations like Planned Parenthood, NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, and MoveOn.org. Cultural moments featured performances and endorsements from artists associated with Dolly Parton, John Legend, and community leaders from Milwaukee neighborhoods, while policy panels showcased experts from Harvard University, Princeton University, Brookings Institution, Center for American Progress, and think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation only in contrast. The roll call of delegates formally took place with enhanced audiovisual accompaniment from state delegations including representatives from Iowa Democratic Party, New York State Democratic Committee, California Democratic Party, Texas Democratic Party, and the host Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Nomination and voting outcomes

Delegates formally affirmed Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee and Kamala Harris as the vice-presidential nominee through the convention’s credentialing and voting procedures overseen by the Democratic National Committee and convention credentials committee chaired by party officials. The roll call recognized pledged delegates amassed during the primary season including allocations from contests such as the Iowa Democratic caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, the Nevada caucuses, the South Carolina Democratic primary, and later primaries like the California Democratic primary and the New York Democratic primary. Superdelegate rules revised after the 2016 Democratic National Committee 2016 reforms limited automatic superdelegate voting on the first ballot; prominent superdelegates included figures such as DNC Chairmanship participants, state party chairs, and elected officials like Joe Manchin and Sherrod Brown.

Reception and impact

Media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Politico, The Atlantic, and FiveThirtyEight analyzed viewership metrics, polling impacts measured by organizations like Gallup and Pew Research Center, and fundraising spikes tracked by the Federal Election Commission. Analysts compared the convention’s messaging to themes in the 2020 United States presidential election campaign of Donald Trump and response from conservative outlets such as Fox News and Breitbart News. Commentators from CNN and MSNBC discussed the convention’s reach relative to the Republican National Convention (2020) and its influence on battleground states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona. The largely virtual format set precedents cited by election scholars at institutions like Yale University, Stanford University, and Columbia University for future nominating events under public-health constraints. The convention’s selection of Kamala Harris as running mate was framed as a historic milestone in coverage by the Associated Press and civil rights organizations including the NAACP and the National Organization for Women.

Category:Democratic National Conventions