WALZ TO DISCUSS HIS BACKGROUND
Walz, 60, who has been praised by Democrats for his support of Harris and other women, will talk about growing up on a Nebraska farm, his family and freedoms that Democrats say are under attack from Trump, who is making his third major-party run for the White House.
The Minnesota governor’s jovial manner belies a sharp tongue that he quickly turned on Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. Democrats eager to coalesce behind a candidate they consider more viable than Biden, 81, have donated a record US$500 million to the fledgling campaign led by Harris.
Harris, 59, will address the gathering on its final night on Thursday.
Biden’s support for Israel’s assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, one of the most divisive issues in the party, has not featured prominently at the convention. Health officials say the offensive has killed more than 40,000 people.
The parents of Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, received a standing ovation and chants of “Bring Them Home” when they took the stage. Goldberg-Polin, 23, was among more than 200 hostages taken by Palestinian Hamas militants in their Oct 7 attack on Israel.
“Bringing the hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” Polin said.
Leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement, which mobilised nearly 750,000 voters during the primary elections to protest US support for Israel’s war in Gaza, have lobbied the DNC for months to include a Palestinian speaker in its programme.
A handful of allies began a sit-in outside the convention centre to protest the exclusion, vowing not to move until they get a speaking slot.
“JOYFUL WARRIORS”
Walz’s keynote address follows rousing appearances by Democratic powerhouses including former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle and Hillary Clinton, a former presidential candidate, US senator and secretary of state.
