ATLANTA — Joe Biden’s presidential nominating convention will highlight the U.S. political spectrum from the left flank of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the Republican old guard of former Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
But that doesn’t mean there’s room for every prominent Democrat who would get a share of the spotlight at what would have been a traditional convention in Milwaukee before the COVID-19 pandemic made that impossible. Instead, Biden’s campaign and other convention planners are continuing negotiations with various power players over how to produce a truncated virtual convention with just eight hours of programming over four nights from Aug. 17-20.
Still unsettled, according to convention organizers, is who gets to speak live and who must be taped. The virtual production is slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT each night, leaving Biden and his aides an unusually narrow window to satisfy a range of egos within the party while trying to project a cohesive message to voters ahead of his general election campaign against President Donald Trump.
Time slots became even more finite Monday when the Democratic National Committee confirmed the inclusion of rank-and-file voters from around the country. They range from a Pennsylvania farmer who voted for Trump in 2016 to a pastor from Reno, Nev., a public transit bus driver from Atlanta and a union auto worker from Michigan.
