Welcome to 538’s politics chat. The transcript below has been lightly edited.
tia.yang ( Tia Yang , senior editor): This week, Democrats (and our own Nathaniel Rakich!) are gathered in Chicago for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Between an assassination attempt, last month’s Republican National Convention, President Joe Biden dropping out and a veepstakes contest, we don’t need to tell you that the last couple months have been a wild ride in politics. The ongoing DNC is in some ways the culmination of a really topsy-turvy period kicking off a totally new presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Heading into the event, Harris had been riding the high of largely positive polling movement , including in key battleground states , and a wave of excitement among Democrats over her candidacy. But the convention was likely many viewers’ first significant exposure to Harris as a nominee, so in today’s 538 politics chat we’ll discuss what narrative Democrats are painting about her, whether the convention has continued that momentum and how this DNC looks different than the one we might’ve expected just a month ago…