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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The 2024 Democratic National Convention opens Monday in Chicago. We will be there, as will delegates who have already nominated Kamala Harris of California for president. She's chosen Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate, the vice presidential candidate. We're joined now by Minyon Moore, who is chair of the Democratic National Convention Committee. She is a Chicago native, worked in the White House for President Clinton and in the presidential campaigns of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Michael Dukakis and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Of course, she joins us from Chicago. Thanks so much for being with us.
MINYON MOORE: Thank you, Scott, for inviting me.
SIMON: Yeah, our pleasure. Like the Republican Convention last month, nominees already been decided in advance. So what's going to happen on these four nights, other than campaigning?
MOORE: Well, it's not just about campaigning. It is also about being able to introduce our new nominee, of course, and our new vice presidential nominee. Their stories will be told through some of their friends and validators, but they'll also tell their own story. And I think the American people will be excited hearing more about them, learning more about them. And I think it's an opportunity for them to lift their voices and to lift their values and so that the American people can see them.
SIMON: Chair Moore, what was the point of months of state primaries and caucuses and millions of dollars spent campaigning, given that the nomination was decided online a couple of weeks before the convention?
MOORE: Well, actually, we decided to do a virtual roll call for many reasons, but the most important reason was we wanted to make sure that, you know, our delegates got an opportunity to have meaningful dialogue around this, and they decided, themselves, who they wanted to vote for. As you know, we had a year's process of the president and the vice president campaigning. So the process was a very healthy and complete process, and we will, in fact, have roll call. It'll be a celebratory roll call, but we will certainly have roll call and announce all the delegates' votes.
SIMON: The local host committee for the DNC raised a historic amount of money - more than $94 million - for the convention. None of the donors to that fund have to be declared. What do donors get for their contributions?
MOORE: Well, you know what? It's not about what they get. It's about what they believe in. When this convention was chosen for Chicago, what we had underneath us was a city that really wanted us to come, a governor that really wanted us to come. Then the donors, who have given so generously, decided that they wanted to make sure our city shined. They wanted to make sure they participated. The business community has been an anchor force, just like the 77 neighborhoods, and we have been incredibly blessed by their generosity. And so it wasn't that they came to the table asking, what can they get? They don't need anything. They want to make sure that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz win this election.
SIMON: As I don't have to tell you, Chair Moore, demonstrations are planned surrounding the convention, and there are some different views within the party, especially over U.S. support for Israel and the war in Gaza. Will we hear those differing views from the stage at the convention?
MOORE: We will hear a variety of messages from the stage. And we have always stated we protect First Amendment rights. We welcome protesters. And, Scott, as you know, the convention always brings protesters. And protesters have a right to be here. They have a right to have their voices heard.
SIMON: What ought to be in the platform? What do you see as the key issues?
MOORE: You know, as far as I can tell, the key issues are the things that the Biden-Harris administration have run on - the infrastructure, economy, education. The things - you know, Middle East peace process will be a part of that platform. No one's running away from it. So we will have all of the things that the Biden-Harris administration have worked on for the last three years. And we will also make sure that we're reflecting some of the vice president's points of view as we go forward.
SIMON: Chair Moore, is this kind of a dream for you to bring your party's convention to your hometown?
MOORE: Yes. I will say it's a dream to be a part of it. I love Chicago. I love this city. I love the people in the city. Scott, I say this without any hyperbole in my voice. I love the diversity. I just love everything about the neighborhoods. You know, I've done these conventions over the years, and I am telling you, I have never witnessed a city so embracing.
SIMON: Minyon Moore, who is chair of the Democratic National Convention of 2024. Thank you so much for being with us.
MOORE: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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