With President Joe Biden having addressed delegates, the week’s full focus now turns to Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as the party and its leaders aim to argue why their new nominee is best suited to be in the White House over the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.

WTTW News reporters are spread out across Chicago covering the 2024 Democratic National Convention and Illinois’ delegation. Check back throughout the day for continuous updates.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois were among the elected officials who attended the AAPI caucus meeting on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

These were common themes during the first big campaign swing for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as the new Democratic ticket barnstormed through five battleground states this past week on a get-to-know-us tour.

“It’s an honor to be asked, even if some of those questions are like a colonoscopy,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said of the vetting process. 

The selection caps the Midwestern Democrat’s short but swift ascent from a relative unknown to a leading driver of the party’s attacks on Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda.

The 60-year-old Democrat and military veteran rose to the forefront with a series of plain-spoken television appearances in the days after President Joe Biden decided not to seek a second term. Here is what you should know about the Minnesota governor. 

Harris was serious enough about Pritzker that the two-term billionaire governor reportedly met twice with her campaign. The attention around the vetting process only gave a boost to Pritzker’s national profile, something national politicos say is a huge boon for any potential future aspirations.