DNC to end with Kamala Harris making history; gun rights in the spotlight

August 22nd, 2024. Remember that day? Regardless of what happens in November. This is one for the history books. You're looking live inside the United Center in Chicago. It is the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention in just a matter of hours, a major political pa evening, and thank you for joining us at five. Everybody, I'm Cory Smith and I'm Colton Bradford in for JC tonight. So Kamala Harris's campaign for president, it is exactly one month and one day old since she's jumped into this race. Harris's campaign has gained a lot of momentum just by the numbers. Here she has raised a half billion dollars in cash and upended polls all across the country. In short, her candidacy changed this campaign. NBC 10's Glenn Jones and Matt Prichard are in Chicago for us this week. We're going to start with Glenn, who is live outside the United Center. Glenn, it's the final night. Good evening to you. Good evening to both of you. You said it well, off the top. History is waiting. Harris has already appeared at the convention, but beyond acknowledging President Biden's service, she hasn't spoken much. Last night, we got the chance to hear from her running mate, Tim Walz. After several days of long speeches, Walz kept things short. His speech was less than 20 minutes. He spoke about growing up in the Midwest and his family, but he also touched on a topic that you don't hear much from Democrats. His appreciation of guns. I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe our first responsibility is to keep our kids safe. NBC 10 political reporter Matt Prichard is live inside the United Center right now. Matt, you've been looking into how the Harris-Walz campaign is dealing with the issue of guns. Yeah, exactly. Glenn there's a bunch of different policy perspectives that Democrats are concerned with, whether we're talking about the war in Gaza or climate issues across the globe. But of course, when it comes to the gun issue in particular, this is something Democrats have been trying to regulate for a long time. And in this case, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is a gun owner himself. It's an issue that brings out strong feelings on both sides that we have to do more to keep our communities safe and keep our children safe. What do you care what I own? As long as I use it safely and ethically? Firearms and Second Amendment rights a constant battle in American politics. But in 2024, Dems are putting forward a ticket that includes a hunter and gun owner. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz I was a better shot than most Republicans in Congress, and I got the trophies to prove it. During his convention speech, Walz hammered home the need for stricter gun reform policies that he pushed while in the Saint Paul State House. I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe our first responsibility is to keep our kids safe. Even so, a gun owner on the DNC stage is somewhat of a novelty. Democrats believe it's still aligns with their values. Do you think he's still sort of fits, or is that a positive thing that he has that diversity? You know, I think that as it's really a strength, it is a reminder that Democrats are not about, oh, everybody's got to look the same and everybody's got to march in lockstep. Comments echoed by other Bay State Dems who see Walz as a diverse candidate, bringing in a broader swath of voting groups. Tim Walz as a hunter and a sportsman, is a great spokesperson to bring those camps together. This rhetoric that you can't somehow have a legal gun and also push for common sense gun reform is nonsense. We expect to hear a lot about those different perspectives during Kamala Harris's address later on tonight. But you can see here inside the United Center, the ball is already starting to fill up, including the upper reaches of the convention hall. I have been here every single afternoon around this time, and this is the most amount of people who have been in their seats at 4:00 in the afternoon here, central time, the delegates themselves, they sort of file in a little bit later because they, of course, have assigned seats that they can go to. But if you're a guest or someone that's attending the convention, you want to get to your seat early, because obviously tonight is the climactic moment of the DNC with Kamala Harris formally accepting the nomination for president from the Democratic Party, which is something we're going to talk about a little bit more coming up tonight at 6:00. Glenn back to you. All right, Matt, we've got a lot of people outside the United Center filing in as well. Important to remember, while a lot of eyes have been on the Democrats, this week, the Trump-Vance ticket is still out there campaigning. Trump running mate JD Vance was in Georgia today to talk about border security. Georgia is one of those important swing states, he met with law enforcement but also responded to Tim Walz speech last night. Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, gave a little speech at the Democratic National Convention. I will say I appreciate the Democrats not being able to keep anything on time, because I think by the time that he spoke, everybody in the state of Georgia was already in bed. Law enforcement and making sure our police get the pay and the equipment. There is JD Vance in Georgia, one of the critical battleground states. For his part, Donald Trump appeared at multiple events today in Arizona, another crucial swing state in the upcoming election. Let's bring in NBC 10 political commentator Sue O'Connell. Now, Sue, let's say you're writing Kamala Harris's speech for tonight. How much or how little do you lean into this historical moment? You know, Glenn, I actually may not tell her to lean in that much at all. I mean, first, it's obvious that the Democrats at this convention have done the job of saying who Harris is, and Will Harris is most likely going to thank those pioneers who came before her. I do not expect it to be the main message of her address tonight. I think this gives her the opportunity to focus on things other than her identity, which frankly, she has not been very comfortable doing, and we don't hear a lot from her. And one of the problems that I think she had in her first campaign for president is that she was being forced to do things and be things that she wasn't comfortable being. The voters found that, and it came across as inauthentic. So this is her ability to go out there and talk about herself in one way, but also gives her room to focus on other topics that may be more important to mainstream people, like going on the offense around immigration and going on the offense around the economy. So I think who she is and what's happening is just going to speak for itself. All right, Sue, thank you. We'll look for that authenticity tonight. Stay with us for complete coverage of the DNC. Matt Prichard will join us again coming up at six with another live report. And Sue O'Connell will be back with me for mor