The Democratic torch is set to be passed on Monday night in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to make her first appearance after President Joe Biden delivered to the party faithful on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention.
As Democrats put the finishing touches on a much different convention than they envisioned a month ago, Harris is poised to appear with Biden before the party begins to look toward the November election, multiple people familiar with the planning tell CNN.
A whirlwind shift on the Democratic ticket — Harris replacing Biden as the party's nominee — led to a slow-motion series of accolades for Biden. Their joint appearance in Maryland on Thursday, where Biden arrived to a hero's welcome, was seen as a precursor to Monday's big finale.
The moment will mark the end of a long political arc for Biden, who attended his first Democratic National Convention in 1972 as a 29-year-old Senate candidate. At the time, he was running as the nation's youngest senator. He will walk the stage Monday as the oldest president.
Despite initial discussions about whether Biden would attend Harris' acceptance speech on Thursday, they did not move forward. He was not expected to be in Chicago last Monday, as the convention turns to officially electing Harris as the Democratic standard bearer.
Biden watched with genuine pride as the party coalesced around Harris, people familiar with his thinking say, and took solace in the quick endorsement of him following his decision to step down, averting a long battle for the nomination.
Harris, meanwhile, has struggled with public worship of Biden. « I could talk all afternoon about the man standing on this stage: our extraordinary president, Joe Biden, » he said Thursday.
Before he arrives in Chicago, Harris plans to take a bus tour through battleground Pennsylvania. He will also hold a rally in nearby Milwaukee on Tuesday.
