Former President Barack Obama stole the show on the second night of the Democratic convention.
Two decades after his breakout speech at the 2004 convention, Obama returned to his hometown of Chicago to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and pay tribute to his former running mate President Joe Biden.
The former president and Michelle Obama overshadowed the rest of the speaking program Tuesday, which included remarks from Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Here are the winners and losers from the second night of the Democratic convention.
Winners
Barack and Michelle Obama
The Obamas have been out of the White House for nearly eight years, but they’re still among the most compelling figures in the Democratic Party. Both Barack and Michelle Obama received some of the largest ovations of the convention so far, ones that may only be rivaled by Harris’ reception Thursday night.
The former president used the moment to praise Biden for dropping out of the 2024 race, saying Biden “put his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.” But Obama spent most of his speech endorsing Harris as the right person to succeed Biden in the White House.
“Kamala Harris is ready for the job,” Obama said. He contrasted Harris with Trump, taking on his successor in unusually direct terms. After leaving office Obama largely avoided criticizing Trump, following the tradition set by previous presidents. But on Tuesday Obama did not hold back.
“This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems,” Obama said, adding that Trump’s act has gotten old. “We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos.”
Michelle Obama was even more blunt.
“It’s his same old con,” she said of Trump’s attacks on Harris. “Doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”
The “celebratory” roll call vote
Harris officially secured the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination earlier this month in a first-ever online vote. But that didn’t stop the Democratic National Committee from holding what it called a “celebratory Roll Call” vote on the second night of the convention. Groups of delegates from each state took turns symbolically nominating Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a ceremony on the arena floor that’s been a staple feature of conventions for decades.
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The in-person roll call vote was also the first of its kind for Democrats since 2016. At the virtual convention during the pandemic four years ago, the DNC held a memorable video roll call vote featuring delegates holding up local dishes and posing in front of iconic locations in their states. The innovative roll call was a highlight of the 2020 convention, but it still wasn’t quite the same as the in-person version.
Roll call speakers included elected officials like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon. But it also gave a rare opportunity for the convention to feature local leaders and grassroots activists who’ll do much of the volunteer campaign work on behalf of the Harris campaign this fall.
Nancy Pelosi
When California’s turn came up in the roll call vote, Gov. Gavin Newsom began his remarks by saying he hailed “from the great state of Nancy Pelosi.” The former speaker laughed at his side as she held the state placard, at the center of the action as usual.
Pelosi did not have a major speaking role Tuesday night. But her silent appearance on the floor was a reminder of her behind-the-scenes effort to elevate her fellow Californian Harris to the top of the ticket. Pelosi reportedly played an instrumental role in delivering a message to the White House that Biden couldn’t beat Trump after his poor debate performance in June.
After his convention speech Monday, Biden denied that Pelosi pushed him out when he was asked if he was angry with the longtime California Democrat. “No one influenced my decision,” Biden told reporters before departing Chicago for a family vacation in California.
Pelosi didn’t publicly call on Biden to drop out. But her refusal to back him in a critical moment spoke volumes. Pelosi stepped down as speaker in January, 2023 and is in the final stages of her political career. But she remains one of the most powerful voices in the Democratic Party.
Losers
Down-ballot Democrats
Democrats rallied around Harris Tuesday, one night after celebrating Biden’s legacy. But all the attention on the top of the ticket has meant down-ballot races are getting largely ignored at the party gathering in Chicago. That could spell trouble for Democrats who face a difficult map to expand their control of the Senate and retake control of the House.
Schumer tried to shift the focus to Congress in his convention speech Tuesday. The Senate majority leader said that Harris “will lead America into a brighter future but she can’t do it alone. She needs a Democratic majority.” Schumer touted several candidates, including Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland, and promised that Democrats would pick up several seats in November.
But in a telling sign Schumer failed to capture the attention of the convention crowd. Delegates spoke over much of his speech while waiting restlessly for Obama’s keynote address. Harris will dominate the rest of the convention. But at some point Democrats may need to start focusing more on the House and Senate.
Bernie Sanders’ influence on the party
Sanders’ legacy is secure after his runner-up finishes to Hillary Clinton and Biden in the last two Democratic primary races. Sanders has helped move the party to the left on trade and climate change, among other issues, while acting as a mentor to a younger generation of progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Sanders played many of his greatest hits in his convention speech Tuesday, working in the policy proposals from his White House campaigns. “Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections,” Sanders said at one point, echoing the rhetoric that turned him into a national political star. The Vermont senator’s speech was met with occasional applause. But the polite reaction he received made clear that Sanders — like Biden and Clinton — is no longer at the center of the policy debate on the American left.