Democrats are meeting in Chicago this week for the party’s national convention where Vice President Kamala Harris is expected be named the presidential nominee.
To get a look at what the DNC means for Harris and what Michigan stands to gain, WKAR's Melorie Begay spoke with Michigan State University political science professor Corwin Smidt to learn more.
Full Transcript:
Melorie Begay: Kamala Harris is, by all counts, the Democratic nominee. Is this her moment to shed light on her policies and really what her platform is going to look like moving forward?
Corwin Smidt: Yes. Usually, because of primaries and whatnot, conventions aren't as important as they used to be in terms of saying what the party is unified about, or what this campaign is about. But in this case, there's still a lot of questions about, what's, for instance, her top legislative priority if she were to be elected, and what would she expect to get passed through Congress?
These sorts of questions she needs to identify. It's not just important for voters, but it's also important for the base. There's a lot of people who have trust and expectations that certain things are going to be said, and that there's no problem in saying them. It's just things have to be done. Hands have to be shaken; bonds have to be built. And that has to come through both speeches and also actions both during the convention, like who gets recognized, what's said from the pedestal, but also, in terms of what happens later in the campaign, who they go meet, and who they go shake hands with, and who they go support.
This will allow time to identify, but also solidify expectations and trust that these base supporters have, and when their expectations of what this campaign will be about.
Begay: As you mentioned, conventions are typically meant to show unity for a party. Do you expect to see any pushback, or is there any potential for others to maybe influence or shape some of the policies she's interested in supporting?
Smidt: Yeah. I mean, there's sort of a thought now that this is not the time to do it, right? There's sort of an emphasis on these are the things that get pushed in these preliminary meetings ahead of time.
There's certainly, obviously with disputes about Gaza and the government's role in supporting Israel. What is going to be important is not necessarily what is officially said, but the tone and how welcomed, or what actions might be done that maybe shut down certain voices.
I think there's maybe an opportunity, not necessarily in terms of what gets said, but in terms of how people are allowed to voice dispute or express dispute. Will signs be allowed, around the floor when on camera and stuff like that.
Begay: I want to specifically talk about the uncommitted vote, where is their place in the DNC? Like, what kind of effect could they have on the DNC, if any?
Smidt: Look, they have an opportunity, right? So they have delegates, they have an opportunity to have certain positions that could be appointed to, and they have certain roles they could play. However, at this point, this is just setting the stage. People have to get selected. You really have to also build bridges, right?
It's really hard at this point to say this is going to be important, because it takes a lot of ingenuity, a lot of activity, be it through shaking hands or working through public relations or whatnot, to get more exposure and influence within a process.
Begay: What's going to be Michigan's role at the DNC, and what kind of influence will the state have in the future of politics?
Smidt: One thing that will be interesting is if a state delivers for a candidate, in this case, if Michigan goes for the Democrat, and it is seen as essential for that victory and for the coalition going forward. That will give party representatives from Michigan a stronger role within the national party. It also helps that right now we have unified control, so we have experienced statewide elected officials and party leaders in both the House and Senate. I don't know how long that's going to stick around, but as of now, that gives them a very strong contingent, a lot of delegate influence, because you have more elected leaders from the state.
Begay: Corwin Smidt is an associate professor in the department of political science at MSU. Thank you for joining me, Corwin.
Smidt: Thank you.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
