LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — This year’s Democratic National Convention took place in Chicago, Illinois, between Aug. 19-22. Democrats have kept their focus on the Midwest after choosing Tim Walz, Minnesota’s governor since 2019, as the vice presidential candidate alongside presidential candidate Kamala Harris, so this location was a way to build support in that region.

The first day of the conference began with a farewell to President Joe Biden as he reaffirmed to America and his party that nominating Harris was one of the best decisions of his career.

“She’d be a president we can all be proud of. And she’d be a historic president who puts her stamp on America’s future,” Biden said.

Hillary Clinton, runner-up in the 2016 election, and Mallory McMorrow, Michigan senator, also spoke on separate issues. Clinton encouraged Americans to vote for Harris and for Kamala to keep pushing to break the glass ceiling for women. McMorrow brought out a giant copy of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, condemning it for its blatant misogyny and transphobia against women, the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.

During day two of the DNC, former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke with former president Barack Obama, criticizing Trump for his behavior of personal attacks and mocking him for what they claimed to be a god complex.

“Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” Obama said.  

To some people, the roll call in any party’s national convention is seen as the most boring and mundane part of the convention, but this year’s Democratic roll call was filled with music and dance. A DJ played songs relating to each state as they cast their votes: Eminem for Michigan, Prince for Minnesota, Bruce Springsteen for New Jersey, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys for New York. The whole event was surprising for everyone there, as it was unorthodox and unprofessional to many.

On day three of the DNC, Walz accepted the nomination for vice president under Harris. 

Many important Democratic figures were there, including a prominent appearance from Dolores Huerta, who is well-known for her “Sí, se puede” slogan, which influenced Obama’s “Yes We Can” slogan. Dolores has been a long-time supporter of Obama, and now Dolores endorses Kamala for president 

Tim Walz’s speech at the DNC was his first major speech focusing on his father, teacher and coach background. Walz relates to America as a breath of fresh air because of his humble background as well as his history in the National Guard for 24 years. His son, Gus, broke out in tears hearing his father’s speech and yelled in support for his father. Bill Clinton also spoke at the DNC, as he described the election as a power grab for Trump.

An Israeli-American couple, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, spoke about their son, who was kidnapped by Hamas while attending the Nova Music Festival. The DNC tolerated protests by pro-Gaza supporters, but many Democrats avoided the question of fully supporting either Israel or Gaza. 

Day four was the last day of the DNC, during which Harris formally accepted the nomination from the Democratic Party for president. Her presence as the presidential nominee has united Democrats since she was chosen for the party’s nomination when Biden stepped down in July. Harris’ speech involved painting Trump as an enemy of American principles. During her speech, she clarified that she spoke to all of America and discussed how putting Trump back in office would lead to extreme consequences.

“You don’t have to live like this anymore,” Harris said. “The freedom to live safe from gun violence, in our schools, communities and places of worship; the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride; the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis and the freedom that unlocks all the others: the freedom to vote.”