‘There was no excitement. Now, there’s tons’: How Harris’ candidacy has energized plans for the DNC

(CNN) — In the moments after President Joe Biden pulled out of the 2024 race, a scramble unfolded as officials raced to reframe the Democratic National Convention around a new candidate: Vice President Kamala Harris.

Officials quickly moved to tailor the Chicago convention to Harris with only four weeks, in part drawing from the 2008 convention when Barack Obama accepted the nomination given the historic candidacy of Harris herself.

But the change — while abrupt — also presented an opportunity. Celebrities who had been uninterested in attending now showed renewed interest. Donors were energized. And a different tone for the convention began to take shape.

“Before Biden decided not to run, it was going to be very anti-Trump, that was our best bet,” one source familiar with the planning told CNN. “Now, it’s going to be more positive and optimistic.”

It’s a stark pivot from the state of play only a couple weeks ago, when celebrity endorsements and attendance were a tough sell.

“There was no excitement. Now, there’s tons,” a Democratic strategist with deep Hollywood ties told CNN. “I’m getting hundreds of texts with people asking me to get them credentials.”

In a little over a week, there’s been a groundswell of support for Harris, manifesting in millions of dollars of fundraising, multiple Zoom calls rallying voters, and a slew of endorsements from across the Democratic Party. She’s also already flexed some star power, including with a performance from Megan Thee Stallion at her Atlanta rally.

Nominee acceptance speeches for the convention, which begins the week of August 19, are currently scheduled for that Wednesday and Thursday night, according to convention officials. Themes for each night of the convention are still being locked in and the schedule remains in flux. Conventional officials maintain that the general infrastructure hasn’t changed regardless of a change in who’s leading the party’s ticket.

But sources described a convention geared toward reintroducing Harris, including setting up a lineup of people who know her best to deliver remarks.

“The convention is our opportunity to tell our story directly to the American people, rally behind the Democratic nominees, and grow our broad and diverse coalition to defeat Donald Trump,” Democratic National Convention spokesperson Matt Hill said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing more soon about our convention in Chicago where Democrats will offer a forward-looking vision for our country that stands in stark contrast to the extremism from Donald Trump’s convention that would take America backwards.”

The convention program if Biden were the nominee was expected to feature a sizable amount of pre-produced content, drawing from the televised storytelling during the virtual 2020 convention that some officials felt was effective in telling the party’s story.

Some of that content is expected to remain. But now, as organizers prepare for a high-energy event and field input from new parties interested in participating, decisions must be made about what taped programming will end up on the cutting room floor, according to a source familiar with the planning.

CNN previously reported that Biden — who was slated to close the convention as the nominee — is expected to deliver a primetime speech during the opening night of the Chicago convention, with the evening’s programming centering on Biden’s legacy and achievements.

That programming will include highly produced televised content aimed at telling the story of how the country moved beyond the pandemic-era of four years ago, before literally and figuratively passing the baton to Biden’s onetime running mate.

“Monday night is Joe’s night,” said a source familiar with the planning. “And then he’ll turn the keys over” to allow the event to focus on Harris.

There’s history to such choreography. At the August 2000 convention, outgoing President Bill Clinton helmed the opening night keynote. After a camera crew filmed Clinton’s dramatic, three-minute entrance to the arena, he was welcomed to the lectern with an uproarious applause.

Clinton used the opportunity to highlight the hallmarks of his almost eight years in office before officially passing the torch to his vice president, Al Gore.

Hollywood gets on board

The Hollywood community is clamoring to support Harris at the DNC, according to numerous agents, publicists and Democratic strategists who spoke to CNN. There are so many celebrities interested in getting involved; the convention has become the hottest ticket in town.

According to a source familiar with the DNC’s current plans, a handful of major Hollywood figures have been confirmed to attend. No performers have been set yet, though various representatives for musicians have been in talks with the Harris campaign, according to two sources. Plans are still being finalized.

Aside from A-listers, Hollywood strategists told CNN that the type of celebrity who will appear at the convention will be very specific and strategic. For instance, besides Megan Thee Stallion’s performance at her Atlanta rally earlier this week, Harris had the support of the rapper Quavo, who spoke about gun violence prevention. Both stars appealed to Black voters and young voters.

The young vote will be key, and, sources said, the Gen Z stars have expressed interest in appearing at the DNC.

“The Republicans had Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan. It was just so yesterday,” a Democratic strategist told CNN. “Our story is about what’s next.”

One of the considerations, according to a strategist in touch with the Harris campaign, is not going overboard with Hollywood players and making sure the focus remains on the issues.

“It can’t look like an award show. That didn’t work for Hillary,” this strategist said, referencing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had an overwhelming level of celebrity support when she ran and lost to Trump in 2016.

Even if they’re not in the room at the DNC, celebrities are expected to be in Chicago throughout the week and are already receiving invites to attend convention-related events and parties, according to an individual who is hosting an event.

“They love the president and have so much respect for him, but there is clearly a different energy now,” according to a Hollywood executive who works with celebrities on political causes, referring to the apathy among celebrities last month.

“There is a strong excitement about not only beating Trump, but also about the VP being the president. There is definitely energy on no Trump, but there is genuinely excitement in the context of the future,” this executive said.

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