Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton both are slated to speak on the Wednesday of the Democratic convention — Aug. 19 — four sources familiar with the planning told Axios.
Why it matters: That’s the same night Joe Biden’s running mate (to be revealed next week) will address the nation. Clinton and Warren represent two of the most influential wise-women of Democratic politics with the potential to turn out millions of establishment and progressive voters in November.
- Clinton was the 2016 nominee.
- Warren, who ran against Biden in the primary, later moved to his all-female shortlist of potential running mates. People familiar with the planning cautioned against reading into the night of her speaking slot providing any clues about who the VP pick will be.
Don’t forget: Warren made Clinton’s VP shortlist in 2016.
Driving the news: Several former Biden primary rivals will give testimonials about him in either live or pre-taped videos that will play at the convention, sources tell Axios.
- Warren, Sens. Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders have fuller-format speaking slots in addition to appearing with other former 2020 contenders.
The big picture: Democrats announced this week that their convention will be entirely virtual because of the coronavirus, so they’re scrambling to finalize the lineup of speakers and events.
- Because the event won’t come with the usual, baked-in fanfare of an in-person convention, Dems are brainstorming about how to be creative and put out compelling content — facing the reality that it’ll take a lot more to draw folks into the process this time around.
- Clinton and Warren’s appearances on the eve of Biden’s convention speech also create another way for the campaign and Democratic National Committee to boost fundraising and viewership for the virtual event.