Which Democrats Landed Coveted Slots for the Final Night of the D.N.C.?
Democrats will bring down the curtain on their convention in Chicago on Thursday night with a showcase for Vice President Kamala Harris and the party’s deep bench, giving marquee speaking slots to governors and candidates from critical swing states before Ms. Harris accepts the party’s nomination for president.
Ms. Harris, whom Democrats quickly coalesced around after President Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed her, will headline a long list of speakers.
Senators Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin are scheduled to speak before her. The two face tough re-election campaigns that could determine which party controls the Senate. Democrats hold power in the chamber by a thin, 51-49 seat majority.
Two governors from battleground states that could tip the presidential election will also take center stage on Thursday: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Michigan seesawed from Donald J. Trump in the 2016 election to Mr. Biden in the 2020 election. North Carolina, which Mr. Trump won in both races, was tilting slightly toward Ms. Harris in a recent poll from The New York Times and Siena College.
Representatives Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who are running for the Senate in crucial races, will also be in the spotlight.
Other speakers include two Black state lawmakers from Tennessee who were expelled from the Republican-controlled State Legislature in 2023 for taking part in a gun-control protest on the House floor and who were later reinstated to their seats by local officials. The legislators, Justin J. Pearson of Memphis and Justin Jones of Nashville, will appear alongside Gloria Johnson, a white state representative who narrowly avoided