Aug 11, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Democrats announce full list of convention speakers

Barack and Michelle Obama at a 2017 Obama Foundation event. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will headline two nights of the Democratic National Convention, according to a full list of speakers released by the party on Tuesday.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Margaret Talev: It signals how much the Democratic Party is still the party of Barack Obama — and how strongly Biden’s team feels the Obamas can validate his vice presidential choice and energize the party’s base.

Worth noting: It's almost impossible to read anything into Biden's potential vice presidential selection from this list.

  • While many potential vice presidential picks are already on the list of speakers, they could easily be moved to Wednesday night if they are Biden's choice.
  • The list does not include two potential finalists, former national security advisor Susan Rice and California Rep. Karen Bass, but that doesn't mean they're out of the running.
  • The party said it will announce details and additional speakers in the coming days.

The full list of speakers

Monday:

  • Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.)
  • Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.)
  • Gov. Andrew Cuomo (N.Y.)
  • Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Mich.)
  • Rep. Jim Clyburn (S.C.)
  • Convention Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.)
  • Rep. Gwen Moore (Wis.)
  • Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich — a Republican
  • Sen. Doug Jones (Ala.)
  • Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.)
  • Former First Lady Michelle Obama

Tuesday:

  • Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.)
  • Former Secretary of State John Kerry
  • Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.)
  • Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.)
  • Former President Bill Clinton,
  • Former Second Lady Jill Biden

Wednesday:

  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.)
  • Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.)
  • Gov. Tony Evers (Wis.)
  • Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (N.M.)
  • Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
  • The vice presidential nominee
  • Former President Barack Obama

Thursday:

  • Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.)
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom (Calif.)
  • Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
  • Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg
  • Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.)
  • Sen. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.)
  • Sen. Chris Coons (Del.)
  • Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.)
  • The Biden family
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden 
Go deeper