The Democratic National Convention will still technically be held in Milwaukee when it kicks off on August 17.

But with the majority of the event now taking place virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, the speakers featured at the city’s downtown convention center will be Democrats that Wisconsinites are used to hearing from, including Governor Tony Evers, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

The Democratic National Convention Committee unveiled its list of speakers for the four-day national nominating convention, which will culminate with former Vice President Joe Biden accepting the party’s presidential nomination.

The party announced that Biden would not come to Milwaukee because of COVID-19 safety concerns, and instead accept the nomination from his home state of Delaware.

The vastly scaled-back convention amounts to a disappointment for Milwaukee, which was expecting time in the political limelight, as well as a significant economic boost from an estimated 50,000 people who were supposed to visit the city.

Among those still set to speak in Milwaukee is U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who will deliver the convention’s opening remarks on the opening night.

On Tuesday, August 18, Mayor Barrett will call the convention to order, and Milwaukee native and convention secretary Jason Rae will direct the roll call vote across all 50 states and seven territories from the Wisconsin Center.

Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes will lead the Wisconsin delegation in offering the state votes to nominate Biden. Governor Evers will kick off the convention on Wednesday, August 19 and Baldwin will deliver remarks on Thursday evening, August 20 – the last night of the convention.

The Wisconsin Center will also be home to a custom virtual video control room that has been designed to take in hundreds of feeds from around the country.

Convention programming will air from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CST, and all the livestreams can be viewed on demconvention.com.

The list of speakers, who will talk from remote locations around the country, includes Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Representative Jim Clyburn, Convention Chairman Representative Bennie Thompson, Representative Gwen Moore, Former Governor John Kasich, Senator Doug Jones, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Former Acting US Attorney General Sally Yates, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Former Secretary of State John Kerry, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, Former President Bill Clinton, Former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Governor Tony Evers, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the Vice Presidential Nominee, and Former President Barack Obama, Senator Cory Booker, Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Senator Tammy Duckworth, Senator Chris Coons, Senator Kamala Harris, The Biden Family, and Vice President Joe Biden.

Corrinne Hess

Lee Matz

Originally published on Wisconsin Public Radio as Democrats Announce Milwaukee-Based Speakers For DNC

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