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The Hill’s Convention Report: Biden’s big night | Steve Bannon’s fall | Pelosi weighs in on Mass. Senate primary

by Max Greenwood,Julia Manchester and Jonathan Easley - 08/20/20 5:05 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: The Democratic convention’s grand finale

When Joe Biden formally accepts the Democratic presidential nomination tonight, it will mark the culmination of a political career that has spanned nearly half a century.

The former Delaware senator and vice president has sought the party’s presidential nod before 2020 — not once, but twice. The first time, in 1988, ended in shambles after Biden was caught plagiarizing a speech from a U.K. politician. The second time, in 2008, he was bested by a junior senator from Illinois, who went on to tap Biden as his running mate.

Now, Biden will finally have the chance to say what he’s waited decades to say: that he accepts the Democratic Party’s nomination for president of the United States.

There will be some buildup to Biden’s remarks tonight. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) will have their turns to speak, as will Biden’s successor in the Senate, Chris Coons (D-Del.). The speaking lineup will also feature three of Biden’s former presidential primary opponents, Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who sought in his few months on the campaign trail to cut into Biden’s coalition of moderate voters.

Biden’s son Hunter is also set to speak on Thursday — a decision that is already providing Republicans with political ammunition. They’ve long sought to portray him as a corrupt figure who used his father’s position in the Obama administration to his financial advantage.

And Biden’s set to score another celebrity endorsement from Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha, who will both speak during the convention on Thursday night.

Join The Hill at our virtual 2020 Conventions Hub — your digital headquarters for exciting events and the latest conventions news. We’ll kick off each day with The Big Questions. Party leaders, pollsters and campaign veterans join our editors to discuss the political and policy issues shaping our nation. Stay tuned in for our afternoon briefings — deeper dives into the key policy areas that will shape the 2020 campaign including energy, affordable housing, and the ongoing response to COVID-19. Check out the full schedule and RSVP now to hold your spot!

RED ALERT BATTLEGROUND STATE POLLS:

A few interesting surveys from the swing states are out today…

In Pennsylvania, a Muhlenberg College survey finds Biden leading Trump 49 percent to 45 percent. That’s within the survey’s margin of error. Biden at one point last month had a nearly 8-point lead over Trump in the RealClearPolitics average of Pennsylvania. Now it is down to a 5.7-point advantage. Trump was in Pennsylvania for a rally on Thursday near Biden’s hometown.

And in Minnesota, a new Trafalgar Group survey finds Trump and Biden are tied. Minnesota is one of the few states Hillary Clinton won in 2016 where the Trump campaign believes they can be on offense. Recent polling has been moving their way.

But one major hurdle for Trump — Biden has the support of a majority of voters who didn’t cast a ballot in 2016, according to a new USC Dornsife poll. That’s helped Biden open up an 11 point national lead overall.

MORE REPUBLICANS FOR BIDEN:

The Democratic convention has heavily featured Republicans and former Republicans for Biden. A few dozen more came out today — more than 70 former national security officials who served under Presidents Trump, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan have announced their support for Biden.

BANNON’S FALL:

Some strange and shocking news around former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, who was also a top adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign:

Bannon and three other men were arrested on Thursday and charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors who sent money to a private group claiming they would build the border wall. The group “We Build the Wall” raised more than $25 million.

It’s the latest twist in Bannon’s up-and-down saga. He was banished from the White House and Trump’s inner circle for leaking stories to author Michael Wolff about Donald Trump Jr. for the book “Fire and Fury.” That also cost him his job as chairman of Breitbart News. Recently, Bannon returned to Washington where he’s broadcast a radio show supporting Trump through the impeachment trial and coronavirus pandemic.

The Hill: Five takeaways from Bannon’s indictment.

More legal action around the president…

A federal judge in New York has dismissed Trump’s latest effort to block a grand jury subpoena for his tax returns and a trove of other financial documents. John Kruzel has the story.

PELOSI STEPS INTO MASSACHUSETTS BATTLE ROYALE

Speaker Nancy Pelosi threw her endorsement behind Rep. Joe Kennedy III’s primary challenge against Sen. Ed Markey on Thursday, sparking major backlash from progressives. In a video, Pelosi said she was supporting Kennedy because he “knows that to achieve progressive change, you must be on the front lines, leading movements of people.”

But the expression of support sent shockwaves through progressive groups, calling the move hypocritical.

“This move reeks of hypocrisy: the party is setting one standard for progressives and one entirely different standard for the establishment,” Alexandra Rojas, the executive director of the progressive group Justice Democrats, said.

“We’re honestly shocked she had the gall to invoke social movements in endorsing Joe Kennedy,” the Sunrise Movement said in another statement. “This is endorsement is embarrassing because it plainly reveals a ridiculous double standard.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also reacted to the news, asking when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) would reverse its blacklist policy, which seeks to block consultants from the party for aiding and working for primary challengers.

The DCCC previously has said it offered support to all incumbents, including Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives who unseated incumbents in 2018.

More Senate campaigns news…the Senate GOP campaign arm outraised their Democratic counterparts in July.

FROM THE HOUSE:

DCCC chairwoman Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) told The Hill’s Reid Wilson today that Democrats are likely to add to their majority in the House next year, and that the party is eyeing long-held Republican seats in states like Alaska, Indiana and Montana.

In an interview for The Hill’s Big Questions series, Bustos said Democrats have taken aim at 31 Republican-held seats this year, a number that is likely to expand in the 10 weeks before Election Day.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

We’re 4 days from the beginning of the Republican National Convention, 40 days from the first presidential debate and 75 days out from Election Day.

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