The celebratory vibe and optimistic tone of this week’s 2024 Democratic National Convention would’ve been unthinkable just over a month ago, as the party was still grudgingly on course to nominate 81-year-old incumbent President Joe Biden in a rematch against Donald Trump.
Despite massive stakes, the election felt like a grind, as the Biden campaign seemed to be banking on voters—even ones unenthused by the choice atop the Democratic ticket—concluding that their candidate was better than the alternative, a 78-year-old convicted felon who tried to overturn the last election and would pursue an extremist, right-wing agenda if elected this time. But Biden’s exit from the race, on July 21, breathed new life into the party, which quickly coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris. The slog became a sprint, and on the campaign trail, there’s been a palpable feeling of joy at Harris rallies, a sharp contrast to her opponent’s events, where fear and paranoia rule.
After chronicling last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Bruce Gilden headed to Chicago to cover the state of the Democratic Party. His striking photos of convention-goers, including prominent Democrats like Chuck Schumer, Jesse Jackson, Stacey Abrams, Kathy Hochul, Eric Adams, Al Sharpton, and Terry McAuliffe, capture the exuberance within a political party that, at times, transformed the United Center into one giant dance party—like when Lil Jon joined a raucous roll-call vote, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and Sheila E performed, or as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” blared while the balloons dropped.
The star power on display was just one of the differences between the two conventions; another was the sea of “USA” signs at the DNC, which presented a more unifying message than the “Mass Deportation Now!” placards waved around at the RNC. The inclusive, forward-looking spirit, overall, was a far cry from Trump’s grim vision of America.
Whether it was Michelle Obama declaring that “hope is making a comeback” or Oprah Winfrey insisting “we’re not going back,” Barack Obama saying America is “ready for a new chapter,” or Tim Walz calling on voters to “turn the page on Donald Trump,” prominent voices framed the 2024 election as a fight for a better tomorrow. The only Gen-Z member of Congress, Maxwell Frost, highlighted the climate crisis, and called for electing Harris and Walz “for our planet, for our future, for our present, and for our people.”
Harris struck a similar chord in her electrifying, closing speech on Thursday night. “With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” she said. “A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.”
