Caucus and council meetings will take place throughout the day, but the final two-hour block of Tuesday’s schedule is when most members of the public are expected to tune in. Between 9 and 11 p.m., a handful of high-profile politicians are scheduled to deliver public remarks about the party’s 2020 platform and throw their support behind Biden.
“We’ll hear from the leaders and the experts, the veterans and the activists, all those who seek to unite and not divide, and who step up—not back down—from a fight over what’s right,” the Democratic National Committee said of Tuesday’s speakers on its website.
Former second lady Dr. Jill Biden was on Monday evening listed as the final speaker of the night and is expected to speak during the final hour. Former President Bill Clinton is also slated to speak on Tuesday night, though the exact timing of his speech was not specified by the committee on Monday evening.
Others who will speak Tuesday include former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Secretary of State John Kerry, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Pennsylvania.
Biden’s running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, is scheduled to speak at the convention on Wednesday night. Former President Barack Obama, who endorsed Biden in April after Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders became Biden’s final serious competitor to suspend his campaign, will also speak on Wednesday.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and entrepreneur Andrew Yang are expected to speak on Thursday. Booker, Buttigieg and Yang also competed against Biden during the primary election season for the 2020 Democratic ticket.
The DNC typically kicks off the official launch of the election season for Democrats with several days of in-person gatherings, but the party modified its convention plans this year as the U.S. continues to battle the novel coronavirus pandemic. Biden will address the party from Delaware, his home state, when he accepts the nomination on Thursday night, the DNC announced earlier this month.
