A Viewers’ Guide to the First Day of the Democratic National Convention

(Bloomberg) -- The Democratic National Convention, which begins Monday and ends Thursday with Joe Biden accepting the nomination for president, will be almost entirely virtual, with speakers delivering addresses from around the U.S. that will be streamed on the internet and broadcast by network and cable news outlets.

The party had initially planned to hold a traditional convention featuring 50,000 people in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum in mid-July. But that was moved to mid-August in response to the coronavirus pandemic, before being cut back to a two-hour slate of virtual speeches each night.

Monday’s theme is “We the People,” and will feature former first lady Michelle Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders as well as other party leaders.

Here’s a look at the main events, starting at 9 p.m. New York time, and where to see them:

How to Watch

All major broadcast networks will air an hour of convention coverage each night from 10 to 11 p.m. New York time and cable news channels will showcase the full two-hour programs. No cable? No problem. The events will be livestreamed by the DNC at DemConvention.com, and YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku TV.

Monday’s Marquee Speakers

Starting at 9 p.m. New York time: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Convention Chairman Representative Bennie Thompson, Representative Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Senators Doug Jones of Alabama and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and the Republican former Ohio governor, John Kasich.

Three additional Republicans were added to the program on Monday: Former Representative Susan Molinari of New York, former Hewlet Packard Enterprise Co. Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of California in 2010, and former Governor Christine Whitman of New Jersey. In 2016, Meg Whitman endorsed Hillary Clinton and said she would donate to her campaign and try to raise money for it. Christine Whitman also endorsed Clinton and both women have been critical of Trump.

Major speeches starting at 10 p.m.: Sanders and Michelle Obama.

Musicians Maggie Rogers and Leon Bridges will each give a performance.

What to Watch

Monday focuses on the Americans working to fight the coronavirus, the economic devastation it has caused and racial injustice.

• Cuomo and Whitmer both garnered national attention for their handling of the coronavirus, which hit their states hard early on.
• Clyburn’s endorsement helped Biden win the South Carolina primary, putting him on the path to clinching the nomination and galvanizing the support of Black voters.
• Kasich ran against President Donald Trump in the 2016 primaries and remains a critic.
• Sanders was Biden’s final challenger for the nomination. His slot on the first night will be an affirmation of party unity between the progressive and moderate wings.
• Obama’s speech has high expectations after her 2016 convention address marked by the tagline, “When they go low, we go high.”

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