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The Hill’s Convention Report: Harris to make history accepting VP nod

by Julia Manchester - 08/19/20 5:30 PM ET

Welcome to The Hill’s Convention Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.

We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the convention front.

LEADING THE DAY: Harris’s time to shine

Democrats are gearing up for the third night of their virtual convention with the theme of “A More Perfect Union,” featuring remarks from the party’s past and future leaders.

Wednesday’s program will feature speeches from former President Obama and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but it will be Sen. Kamala Harris’s time to shine.

The freshman California senator will officially become the first African American and Asian American woman in U.S. history to accept a major party’s vice presidential nomination.

Harris’s sister Maya Harris, niece Meena Harris and stepdaughter Ella Emhoff will mark the historic moment by nominating her at the convention.

Her formal nomination comes one day after the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

Harris and many others on Tuesday were quick to point out that the amendment excluded women of color for nearly half a century, making her nomination tonight that more notable.

The last time Harris spoke at a Democratic convention was in 2012 while serving as California’s attorney general.

The last time I spoke at the Democratic National Convention was in 2012.

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET I’ll be back, this time accepting the nomination for Vice President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/nTl4uXDe5n

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 19, 2020

Still, The Hill’s Marty Johnson reports that Harris’s address may not be all smooth sailing given skepticism among the party’s progressive flank over her record on crime and justice that many associate with mass incarceration and racial inequality.

EXPECT OBAMA, HILLARY TO GO HARD AFTER TRUMP

Former President Obama is expected to vouch for Joe Biden, his former vice president, and take aim at President Trump during his speech Wednesday night, warning that democracy itself is on the line in November.

“President Obama will highlight the cynical moves by the current administration and the Republican party to discourage Americans from voting,” Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill said. “He’ll make a pointed case that democracy itself is on the line – along with the chance to create a better version of it.”

The former president’s speech will come two days after his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, delivered a blistering rebuke of Trump’s presidency on the convention’s opening night.

Meanwhile, 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will also deliver remarks Wednesday, marking her first prime-time speech since she lost her presidential bid to Trump four years ago. Our colleague Amie Parnes has likened the speech to Clinton’s “I-told-you so moment.”

The convention’s third night will pay homage to the day’s pop culture icons, with performances by Prince Royce and Billie Eilish. Actress Kerry Washington, known for her role as D.C. fixer Olivia Pope on ABC’s “Scandal,” will emcee the evening.

– Julia Manchester

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE:

This will do nothing to calm Democratic concerns: White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday refused to answer when she was twice asked if President Trump would accept the election results in November if he loses.

“The president believes he’s done a great job for the American people, and that will show in November,” McEnany told reporters.

The remarks come after Trump this week said he would only lose if the election is “rigged.” McEnany added Wednesday that Trump “believes that voter fraud is real,” particularly with mail-in ballots. Election watchers say there are very few instances of mail ballot fraud.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign on Wednesday added to its growing list of lawsuits in states expanding access to mail and absentee ballots. The campaign is suing three Iowa counties over their absentee ballot request forms and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) over an executive order that would send every voter a mail ballot directly. The Republican National Committee has legal action in process all over the map and a budget of $20 million for mail-related lawsuits.

Vice President Pence is also on the trail. Pence went on the attack against Biden in the battleground state of Wisconsin during an address to a crowd of supporters at a metal fabrication plant:

“Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have been overtaken by the radical left and their agenda would take this country in a dramatically different direction, on an inexorable path toward socialism and decline.” –Pence

POLLING UPDATE:

Biden’s chief pollster is talking big, saying at a Wednesday event that the nominee is building a broader coalition than even President Obama had.

Pollster John Anzalone said Biden is improving among right-leaning voters, which is underscored by the Republicans and former Republicans who have appeared at the Democratic convention this week.

Anzalone pointed to public polls that show Biden leading among independent voters, among those with college educations, among suburbanites and even among seniors.

“Those are four groups that not only did Trump win, but [2012 GOP nominee Mitt] Romney won, and people forget that. Barack Obama didn’t win those four groups in his 2012 reelection. So Biden’s coalition has expanded. He’s also narrowing the margins within what are traditionally the Republican bases, and that’s a strong candidate.” –Anzalone

The latest Republican to get on board with Biden? Former GOP Rep. Charlie Dent from Pennsylvania. Here is what Dent said in an editorial for CNN:

“Donald Trump is not a conservative: He is an illiberal populist and nativist whose chaotic approach and managerial malfeasance have undermined the functioning of government…Biden is fundamentally a decent and honorable man who respects the American tradition, supports the rule of law, embraces America’s friends and allies, and will restore some semblance of normalcy to the functioning of government.” –Dent

More polling of note:

Biden selecting Harris as his running mate has given him a boost among Black and Latino voters, according to two recent surveys. Read more HERE.

But it’s not all good for Democrats on that front — former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro says that the Democratic National Committee should have scheduled more Latino speakers in this week’s convention. He’s warning that Latino voters could potentially move away from the party after the November election.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

We’re 5 days from the beginning of the Republican National Convention, 41 days from the first presidential debate and 76 days out from Election Day.

The Democratic National Convention’s main programming is slated to start tonight at 9 p.m. EDT and will run until 11 p.m. Here’s a look at the speaker lineup (exact times TBD):