Walz’s big night, influencers flexing clout, defining freedom. Takeaways from Day 3 of the DNC

CHICAGO (AP) — The Democratic National Convention barreled into its third day Wednesday with a lineup headlined by former President Bill Clinton and the woman who may be most responsible for the party’s new presidential ticket — former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The final speaker was to be Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, introducing himself as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Given the truncated nature of the scrambled presidential race, the convention is a key opportunity for voters to get to know Harris and Walz better.

Here are some takeaways from the third night of the DNC.

‘Bring them home’

In a deeply polarized country, there was one group that was welcomed with loud applause at both the Republican and Democratic conventions — the parents of young men taken hostage after Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Last month in Milwaukee, Ronen and Orna Neutra, told the gathering about the kidnapping of their adult son Omer and led the crowd in a chant of “bring them home!” On Wednesday, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped on Oct. 7, walked on stage to the same chant.

“This is a political convention,” Jon Polin said. “But needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue.”

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Parents of American held by Hamas appeal for hostages’ release during Democratic convention </bsp-custom-headline>