Winners And Losers From Night 1 Of The DNC

President Joe Biden passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris with a forceful speech Monday to start the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The 2024 race might have gone very differently if Biden had displayed the same vigor in his June debate with former President Donald Trump.

Biden’s sharp performance capped an emotional night for Democrats as the party sought to celebrate his record as president while also seeking to turn the page to Harris and her battle against Trump in November. Harris also made a brief speech on stage before watching Biden and the other speakers alongside her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Biden and the party’s 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton, won praise for their speeches Monday. Others were lost in the shuffle during a marathon primetime program that focused on the issue of abortion and featured a broad range of speakers representing the party’s past and future.

Here are the winners and losers from the first night of the Democratic convention.

Winners

President Biden

Biden’s long keynote resembled a State of the Union address to his party more than it did a traditional, campaign-themed convention speech. Biden spent the bulk of the roughly 50-minute speech on an extended victory lap of his achievements as president, leaving no stone unturned as he ticked off domestic legislative accomplishments and foreign policy victories.

The amount of time it took Biden to summarize his record underscored the fact that he got more done than many in Washington — Democrats and Republicans alike — thought possible when he took office in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection. But the heart of the speech came near the end, when a visibly emotional Biden addressed, albeit indirectly, his decision not to seek a second term.

“It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job. But I love my country more,” Biden said. He went on to make a strong case for Harris to succeed him in the White House.

In framing his decision as a selfless act, the 81-year-old Biden left unsaid that he chose to drop out of the race due to pressure from Democrats who believed he could not beat Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, after a disastrous late-June debate performance raised questions about his age and acuity.

On Monday, Democrats in Chicago were all too happy to ignore the details and focus on Biden as the party tried to move forward united behind Harris. And Biden appeared moved by the show of support, even if his address was not the speech he hoped to give.

“America, I gave my best to you,” Biden said before walking off the stage. Biden left the United Center less than 20 minutes later, bound for a family trip to California.

Shawn Fain

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain won over progressives last year with his brash organizing tactics and Bernie Sanders-style rhetoric during the UAW’s strike against Detroit’s big three automakers. Fain’s appearance Monday night at the DNC cemented his newly-minted status as a Democratic Party powerbroker.

Individual labor leaders have seen their political influence wane in recent decades as union membership has declined. But Fain may be an exception. The strike turned him into arguably the best-known labor leader in the country — landing Fain a more prominent speaking slot Monday than numerous other union officials. Fain used the spotlight to tout labor’s role as a key partner to the Biden administration and urged rank-and-file union members to back Harris over Trump.

“For the UAW and working people everywhere, this election comes down to one question: Which side are you on?” Fain said.

Fain also flexed his growing influence ahead of the convention when he weighed in on Harris’ VP selection process. Fain publicly criticized two finalists — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — for their labor records and praised two others, Walz and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez burst onto the national scene in 2018 as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress and quickly established herself as one of the country’s brightest progressive stars. Ocasio-Cortez also became a thorn in the side of the Democratic Party establishment while being relegated to the far-left fringe of the party.

Six years into her political career, Ocasio-Cortez, 34, is still more liberal than the centrist old guard wing of the party embodied by Biden and Clinton, whose rousing speech Monday was one of the highlights of the night. But the party has moved in the direction of Ocasio-Cortez, her close ally Sanders and other progressives, not the other way around. Her positions on the economy, climate change and other issues are now closer to the Democratic Party mainstream — and on Monday, Ocasio-Cortez sought to tie Harris to the progressive left.

“In Kamala Harris we have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “She understands the urgency of rent checks and groceries and prescriptions.”

Whether that strategy helps Harris and the party win in 2024 — and beyond — remains to be seen. But Monday left no doubt that AOC is firmly entrenched in the highest ranks of the party, right there with Clinton, Rep. James Clyburn and other high-profile Democrats who spoke on the convention’s first night.

Losers

Andy Beshear

Beshear gave a ringing endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket Monday, playing the role of loyal party soldier after getting passed over along with Shapiro and other Democrats in Harris’ lightning-round search for a running mate. Getting picked would have transformed Beshear’s career, instantly turning him into a Democratic star and potential future presidential frontrunner. As it stands now, the Kentucky governor is not a household political name and his brief speech Monday likely won’t change that.

Still, the 46-year-old Beshear is young enough to have plenty of time for a run at the White House down the road. He raised his national profile somewhat by making it onto Harris’ VP shortlist. If she loses, Beshear would be well-positioned to make a White House run in 2028.

But in the scenario where Harris wins and goes on to serve two terms, Beshear would likely have to wait eight more years before seeking the presidency — and it’s unclear what he’d do in the intervening years to remain relevant. Beshear can’t run for reelection when his term as governor ends in 2027. His political future may still be bright, but it’s far less certain now.

The DNC’s focus on Project 2025

Halfway through the night, Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow took aim at Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s lengthy policy wish list for a second Trump term. “Over the next four nights you are going to hear a lot about what is in this 900-page document,” McMorrow said.

That might not be such a good thing for Democrats hoping to rally the party at the DNC.

Project 2025 is filled with broad ideas and specific proposals that are anathema to many on the left. Harris frequently mentions it while attacking Trump on the campaign trail. But it’s unclear if Democrats and independents have read the details — or whether it’s a motivating issue that will send them to the polls. Trump has also distanced himself from Project 2025, though it includes several former Trump advisers.

The focus on Project 2025 highlights a core dilemma for Harris and Democrats, both at the convention and in the final months of the election: whether it’s a more effective strategy to feature a positive forward-looking message, or a negative one tailored on criticizing Trump as unfit for office. Campaigns have to do both, of course, and Harris will surely combine both approaches in her acceptance speech Thursday. But Democrats may risk alienating some independents — and dulling enthusiasm among some of the party faithful — if they keep harking back to Project 2025 for the rest of the convention.