Highlights from the Third Day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago: Walz Accepts VP Nomination and Pelosi’s Speech

Welcome to a special edition of From the Politics Desk, bringing you the highlights from the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Walz touts ‘freedom’ message and small-town roots as he accepts VP nomination

CHICAGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz introduced himself to his largest audience yet Wednesday as he capped off the third day of the Democrats’ convention, touting his vision of “freedom” and excoriating the GOP while accepting the party’s vice presidential nomination.

“When Republicans use the word ‘freedom,’ they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office, corporations free to pollute your air and water, and banks free to take advantage of customers,” Walz told the crowd. “But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean … freedom to make your own health care decisions, your kids’ freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot.”

Vice President Kamala Harris’ allies see in Walz a running mate with the ability to speak to constituencies — rural white voters, especially men — who have fled the Democratic Party in recent years. He also brings experience to the ticket as a governor halfway through his second term and a House member for 12 years.

Walz highlighted his experiences as a teacher, football coach, veteran and gun owner from the stage, coming out to the tune of John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” and speaking of his early life being raised in a rural town of 400 people. Convention organizers distributed signs reading “Coach Walz” throughout the arena for his speech.

He touted his record as governor of Minnesota, where Democrats have enjoyed full control in state government the last two years and have passed gun safety, free school lunch and paid family leave measures.

“Other states were banning books from their schools; we were banishing hunger from ours,” he said. “We also protected reproductive freedom, because in Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make. Even if we wouldn’t make those same choices for ourselves, we’ve got a golden rule: Mind your own damn business.”

Walz’s finale capped off a Wednesday program under the theme “A Fight for Our Freedoms.” It began with speeches by a series of abortion-rights advocates, an LGBTQ rights activist and leaders of liberal groups that focus on outreach to women and Latinos. And it ended with Walz touting Harris as the “freedom” candidate in this election, the main theme of her campaign.

Pelosi is a villain in Biden’s inner circle — and a hero to the rest of the Democratic Party

CHICAGO — In the morality play that yielded a new Democratic presidential nominee last month, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., could be seen as a heroine who risked a political backlash to save her party’s chances in November or a villain who bloodlessly, needlessly and rashly pushed aside its sitting president.

When she stepped to the lectern at the Democratic National Convention here Wednesday night — as a two-time speaker of the House who voluntarily gave up her own power last year after she helped deliver the legislative agendas of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden — she was greeted as a favorite.

To the extent that there is a certain uneasiness about this convention, which was supposed to nominate Biden for a second term, it is limited to a small circle of party power brokers whose relationships were fractured when Biden was dumped and replaced by Harris as the party’s standard-bearer. No one was more central to the first part of that push than Pelosi.

The real moral of the story for Democrats here is that their only priority is beating former President Donald Trump, and most of them think Pelosi put them in a better position to do that. Biden was the beneficiary of that sentiment when he won the party’s nomination in 2020 and faced nominal opposition this year — right up until the moment many Democrats, led by Pelosi, decided he was no longer their best option.

In her speech, Pelosi recounted that Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election and that his supporters attacked the Capitol on the day Biden’s victory was certified in Congress.

“Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on Jan. 6: He did,” she said. “The parable of Jan. 6 reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care, and we must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections, who respect the peaceful transfer of power.”

And, she added, “the choice couldn’t be clearer.”

That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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