Josh Shapiro gives prime-time address at the DNC; Tim Walz accepts VP nomination; Andy Kim reflects on Jan. 6 aftermath

After entering the stage to chants of “coach” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz shared about his upbringing in small town Nebraska and as a public school teacher in southern Minnesota as he accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president.

“I haven’t given a lot of big speeches like this but I have given a lot of pep talks,” Walz told the crowd of enthusiastic Democrats as he outlined the work Democrats must do in the coming months to elect Vice President Kamala Harris as president. Invoking his time as high school football coach Walz told Democrats to “leave everything on the field.”

Walz drew on his small town upbringing as a lesson in taking care of neighbors and described the difficult process of fertility treatment he and wife, Gwen Walz, went through when trying to grow their family.

Oprah Winfrey appeared at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night to speak on freedom in Chicago, the town she broadcasted the Oprah Winfrey Show from for more than two decades.

Winfrey paid tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis, a pioneer of the civil rights movement, as someone who understood that the work of ensuring freedom would never be finished.

She earned enthusiastic cheers as she listed off the places she had lived, finishing with Chicago, Illinois. She cited the racism and sexism she had seen and experienced in her time traveling the country but also the Americans who would reach out and lend a helping hand.

Gov. Josh Shapiro brought his motto of “real freedom” to the national stage on Wednesday in a prime-time speech before the Democratic National Convention, after weeks of making a name for himself as the popular and moderate governor in one of the nation’s most important swing states.

Shapiro, 51, is Pennsylvania’s first-term Democratic governor. A rising star in the Democratic Party, he made his DNC debut this year, never having spoken at previous conventions. And this week, he made a splash in Chicago, following weeks in the national spotlight as a contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate that led him to speak to nearly a dozen state party breakfasts, give dozens of interviews with media outlets across the ideological spectrum, and host a “Real Freedom” happy hour to kick off the convention.

As Shapiro took the stage, the Pennsylvania delegation chanted “get s— done!” His daughter Sophia, and wife Lori, sat with the group, next to Lt. Gov. Austin Davis.

In his speech at the Democratic National Convention, former President Bill Clinton worked to draw a clear contrast between Vice President Kamala Harris, who he called the “president of joy” and former President Donald Trump.

He complimented Harris’ efforts to serve the public and choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate while criticizing Trump as a liar who has only ever worked to promote himself.

“In 2024 we’ve got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me,” Clinton said. “Kamala Harris for the people and the other guy, who’s proved even more than first go around, that he’s about me, myself and I.”

U.S. Rep Andy Kim of New Jersey opened his DNC speech with the story of the first time he brought his sons to the U.S. Capitol building.

He asked his sons if they loved the Capitol and his son Austin responded “I love the Capitol, and lowercase too.”

January 6, 2021, when a mob stormed the Capitol came shortly later. Kim, who is now running for the U.S. Senate, gained national attention following the attack on the Capitol for his decision that night to grab a trash bag and begin cleaning up debris. Speaking to the DNC crowd, Kim recalled that moment.

Attacks on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s faith throughout his consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate didn’t bother him.

But the way those attacks impacted others — Jewish or not — did, he said in a wide-ranging interview with Politico before his scheduled prime-time appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.

“I recognize that I was attacked for my faith,” Shapiro said about the public scrutiny he faced, as the only potential running mate candidate who faced a public campaign against him. “I’m very proud of my faith. My faith calls me to serve. Those attacks didn’t hurt my feelings… What upset me about this was the way it made other people feel.”

U.S. Rep Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who is running for the U.S. Senate, spoke at the DNC Wednesday night about “bright hope” the name of the church her grandmother attended in Philadelphia for seven decades.

“It’s not just a name, it's how I approach my life,” Rochester said.

Bright hope, Rochester said, can be seen in Black entrepreneurs and investments in economic opportunities and affordable housing.

A video aired at the DNC Wednesday night featured two Pennsylvania voters who had previously voted for Trump but said they could not anymore.

“One of the main reasons why I won’t support Donald J. Trump for president again starts with his chaotic behavior,” Matthew McCaffery of Upper Merion said in the video.

McCaffery, whose face is featured on Republicans Against Trump billboards across Pennsylvania, was removed from his leadership position on the Montgomery County Republican Committee in Upper Merion on Monday because of his support for Harris.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Wednesday hinted at a coming announcement about her plan to build or preserve 30,000 new units of housing while speaking at a policy forum in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.

The comment came after the moderator, former Chicago housing official Marisa Novara, noted that her city was only able to build 2,400 units when it obtained a windfall $1 billion allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

“So 30,000 is eye-popping,” Novara said. “How are you going to do it?”

Claudia De la Cruz, who is running for president as part of the Socialism and Liberation party, will not be on Pennsylvania's November ballot, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled Tuesday.

Judge Bonnie Leadbetter ruled that the individuals named as electors for the Socialism and Liberation Party were disqualified to be electors for the party because had voted in April's primary election as Democrats. Without qualified electors, De la Cruz could not remain on the ballot.

De la Cruz is one of several independent candidates that has sought ballot access in Pennsylvania. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a Republican attorney was working to help Cornel West gain access to the ballot as an independent after his candidacy was rejected by the Department of State.

Mississippi officials and witnesses to the historic 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City traveled to the seaside resort on Tuesday to unveil a historic marker on the Boardwalk honoring Black civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

The marker is the first Mississippi Freedom Trail marker placed outside of Mississippi.

It was in Atlantic City, on Aug. 22, 1964, that Hamer and the Freedom Democratic Party traveled to protest the all-white, all-male Mississippi delegation for excluding Black Mississippians and demand their delegates be seated in its place. Hamer gave her historic speech in which she declared, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."

Doylestown native Pink is expected to close out the Democratic National Convention's list of musical acts with a performance before Vice President Kamala Harris' nomination acceptance speech Thursday.

Pink's performance was confirmed by a person familiar with the planning who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the lineup.

R&B artist John Legend, a University of Pennsylvania graduate who got his start performing at Philadelphia's Five Spot nightclub, is reportedly slated to perform Wednesday. Patti LaBelle, a Southwest Philly native, played her own set at the DNC Tuesday.

In a second-floor conference room in the Westin Hotel right off Lake Michigan, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke to about 80 New Hampshire delegates, many of whom have a lot of experience vetting presidential candidates.

“The reason I especially wanted to be here this morning is because when the power is in the hands of New Hampshire, you all know how to pick a president and you all know how to get stuff done,” he said.

He was introduced by the state party chair, Ray Buckley, who said Shapiro adopted his slogan about political productivity from New Hampshire.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to take the stage at the United Center in Chicago Wednesday for night three the Democratic National Convention.

Shapiro will speak alongside a number of other high-profile guests, DNC communications director Matt Hill announced via social media late Wednesday morning. The governor's appearance at the DNC comes after a closely followed selection process for Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in which Shapiro was considered a top contender.

Ultimately, Shapiro wasn't selected, with the Harris campaign eventually picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is also expected to speak Wednesday in Chicago.

The last time former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn met with a room full of Pennsylvania elected officials, he didn’t get a warm reception.

“I got booed on the House floor in Pennsylvania,” Dunn said while speaking to the Pennsylvania delegation to the Democratic National Convention. “The crazy thing was it was my presence, my presence that made them incensed. I didn't even speak."

Dunn was referring to when some Republican state representatives booed and walked out of the chambers when House Speaker Joanna McClinton in January honored him and another officer, whom she said "bravely defended democracy” during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Philly’s own Patti LaBelle paid tribute to late Democratic Party members on Tuesday, the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Known best as the Godmother of Soul, LaBelle, 80, sang “You are My Friend” as part of the programming’s In Memoriam segment. Late party members recognized included former first lady Rosalyn Carter and former Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.

It’s not the singer’s first time supporting Democrats.

The state of Georgia may have capitalized on one of the most popular memes to come out of this election cycle so far. Walking out to his song “Turn Down for What,” Atlanta local Lil Jon helped the state delegates formalize their support for Vice President Kamala Harris — but with a little extra swagger.

As part of a new twist on the Democratic National Convention roll call votes, DJ Cassidy spun songs that represented each state and territory while delegates announced their endorsements for Harris.

When it came time for Georgia, the rapper’s presence shook up the in-person crowd and fans watching at home. Since Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, memes ran amok announcing “to the window, to the Walz,” a play on Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz’s 2002 club hit “Get Low.”

Every four years, Pennsylvania becomes the center of the political universe thanks to the quirks of the Electoral College system.

But perhaps even the state’s politicos are getting tired of the incessant campaign ads that come with being the most important battleground.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.) drew applause while speaking to the Pennsylvania delegation to the Democratic National Convention when he suggested the country instead move to a popular vote system.

The Harris-Walz campaign in Pennsylvania will be hosting at least 150 watch parties when Vice President Kamala Harris makes her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday.

The watch parties, which more than 3,000 people have signed up to attend, will take place across the commonwealth including in Roxborough, Harrisburg, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Erie, and Blair County.

This is part of a series of more than 650 events that are being hosted by the campaign this week "to capitalize on energy surrounding the DNC," according to the campaign. The events will focus on former President Trump's stance on abortion and Pennsylvania workers, and "the stakes of the race for democracy."

The roll call meant nothing. It also meant a whole lot.

Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, officially became her party’s nominee two weeks ago, without much ceremony, following a virtual vote of delegates.

So when Pennsylvania’s delegation cast its 178 votes Tuesday evening to nominate Harris to become the first Black woman and first Asian American nominated by a major political party, it was simply ceremonial.

North Philadelphia State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta was one of the only Pennsylvania natives to land a coveted speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, spending his two minutes on stage ripping the conservative “Project 2025″ as a “a radical plan to drag us backward.”

While holding a copy of the 900-page blueprint for a second Trump administration that was put together by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, Kenyatta, 34, said Republicans would overhaul the federal government under the plan, halt Medicare’s newly granted power to negotiate drug prices, and change regulations on overtime pay for workers.

“My friends, these bad ideas aren’t new,” he said. “As long as we’ve been fighting to make America work for working families, there have been greedy corporate interests trying to take us back.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be in the spotlight tonight in Chicago to headline the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Walz, who was selected by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, spoke to Pennsylvania’s delegation Monday morning and was booed by half the room for mentioning Wawa rival Sheetz. But showing why he was chosen as ticket’s No. 2, he also discussed what he’s seen out of Harris during their brief time campaigning together.

“When you see Kamala Harris out on the stump, you see her connecting and you see her leaning on a knee and talking to kids, you see her petting that dog at the firehouse,” Walz said. “All the things you see her doing…showing kindness …lifting up someone, it is connecting across this county.”

Primetime programming at the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern and last four hours, though most broadcast networks won’t begin their live coverage until 10 p.m.

The convention will stream live on the DNC’s official website and across all their social media channels.

In Philadelphia, both ABC and NBC will begin live coverage at 9 p.m., while CBS will broadcast live from the DNC beginning at 10 p.m. Fox won’t air live coverage of the DNC.

As Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign continues to focus on Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, former President Donald Trump’s campaign will head to North Carolina Wednesday.

Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio), Wednesday in Asheboro, N.C. Slated to take place at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame, that event will be focused on national security, according to the Trump campaign’s website.

The Trump-Vance ticket on Thursday will turn its attention to immigration, with Trump making an appearance in Cochise County, Ariz., and Vance slated to speak at an event in Valdosta, Ga.