CHICAGO (WLS) — Like a good coach, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz went into the third night of the Democratic National Convention with a battle plan and delivered a speech that resonated well before a packed house at the United Center.

Walz stepped onto the biggest stage of his life to deliver the most significant speech of his career and celebrate the nomination of a lifetime.

“We are all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason: We love this country,” Walz said as thousands of delegates held vertical signs reading “Coach Walz” in red, white and blue.

Live updates on Day 3 of the 2024 DNC: Governor Tim Walz, Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi speak on Wednesday

Walz described his childhood in Nebraska and his work as a football teacher and coach in Minnesota, telling the crowd, “Thank you for bringing joy to this fight.”

As Walz spoke about the difficulties of conceiving his daughter Hope, she formed a heart with her hands and held it to her chest. His son Gus cried as he watched his father speak, shouting at least once, “That’s my father!”
“I haven’t given many speeches like this, but I have given a lot of motivational speeches,” Walz said.

Previously, parts of the old Democrats had rallied behind Kamala Harris. Former President Bill Clinton said the election presented voters with two completely different candidates.

“Will this president bring us together or tear us apart? Will the president enhance the peace, security, stability and freedom that we enjoy and extend it, as far as possible, to others?” he asked the crowd and, by extension, the nation watching at home. “We the people have to make a decision on these kinds of issues.”

Clinton looked back on his time in office and talked about how important it is for a president to have the right temperament. He also echoed the Harris campaign’s motto of bringing joy back into politics.

“Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will and, yes, the sheer joy to get something done,” Clinton said.

There was also a celebrity surprise with an appearance by local heroine Oprah Winfrey.

Kamala Harris’ rise to the top of the ballot came after President Joe Biden made the difficult decision to step down. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime political ally who was instrumental in Biden ending his campaign and passing the torch to Harris, also addressed the crowd.

But the evening belonged to Walz, who was helped by Minnesota’s down-to-earth, homely nature to secure his place on the ballot.

Who is Tim Walz?

On Wednesday afternoon, Walz made his way around the United Center and looked up at the stage with a smile. For many Democrats, he is an important part of a successful game plan for November.

“I’ve seen campaigns spend millions of dollars portraying their candidates as the guy who could be a National Guardsman, a school teacher, a football coach,” Buttigieg said. “He is literally that guy!”

Many Americans had never heard of Walz until Harris chose him for her candidacy. In the early weeks of his campaign, he charmed supporters with his background as a teacher and football coach, helping Harris balance her coastal background as a cultural representative of the Midwestern states whose voters she needs this fall.

But Walz has also come under scrutiny, in part for whitewashing his past. His wife clarified this week that she did not undergo IVF, as Walz has repeatedly claimed, but had used other fertility treatments. Republicans also criticized Walz for a 2018 remark about carrying weapons in war. Although he served in the National Guard for 24 years, he was never deployed to a war zone.

Still, polling data shows that despite initial difficulties, Walz had a smoother start as Harris’ running mate than Republican JD Vance, Trump’s nominee for vice president.

About a third of U.S. adults (36%) have a favorable opinion of Walz, while about a quarter (27%) have a favorable opinion of Vance, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Significantly more adults have an unfavorable opinion of Vance than of Walz, 44% to 25%.

Full DNC Speaker Schedule for Night 3

5:30 p.m..

• Opening: Alex Hornbrook, Executive Director of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee
• Hammer in hand: Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey
• Invocation: Sri Rakesh Bhatt, Sri Siva Vishnu Temple and Bishop Leah D. Daughtry, The House of the Lord Churches
• Pledge of Allegiance: Moreland Arts Students & Health Sciences Magnet School from St. Paul, MN
• National anthem: Jess Davis
• Presenting the Honorable Resolutions: Democratic National Committee Chairman Rep. Jaime Harrison, joined by his Co-Chairs, the Honorable Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ken Martin, Henry R. Muñoz III, Treasurer Virginia McGregor, and Finance Chairman Chris Korge.
• Notes: Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All
• Notes: Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund
• Notes: Cecile Richards, reproductive rights advocate
• Notes: Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign
• Comments: Jessica Mackler, President of EMILYs List
• Remarks: María Teresa Kumar, Founding President and CEO of Voto Latino
• Remarks: New York Representative Tom Suozzi

18:00 hrs

• Welcoming remarks: Senator Cory Booker
• Joint remarks: Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson
• Joint remarks: Rashawn Spivey and Deanna Branch, advocates for the removal of lead pipes
• Remarks: Delaware Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester
• Remarks: New York Representative Grace Meng
• Remarks: “Project 2025 – Chapter Three: Freedoms” by Colorado Governor Jared Polis
• Remarks: Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
• Remarks: DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene
• Remarks: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
• Remarks: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel
• Shared remarks: Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin
• Performance: Maren Morris

19:00

• Remarks: Texas Representative Veronica Escobar
• Remarks: Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut
• Notes: Bexar County, Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar
• Remarks: Chairman of the Democratic Caucus in the House of Representatives, California Representative Pete Aguilar
• Influencer comments: Carlos Eduardo Espina, Content Creator
• Remarks: Olivia Troye, former national security official in the Trump administration
• Remarks: Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan
• Remarks: Mississippi Representative Bennie G. Thompson
• Remarks: Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, retired U.S. Capitol Police Officer
• Remarks: New Jersey Representative Andy Kim
• Influencer comments: Olivia Julianna, Content Creator
• Appearance: Stevie Wonder
• Notes: Comedian and actor Kenan Thompson and guests at Project 2025

20:00

• Host Introduction: Mindy Kaling
• Remarks: Chairman of the Democrats in the US House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries
• Remarks: Former President Bill Clinton
• Remarks: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emirta Nancy Pelosi
• Remarks: Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro
• Remarks: Alexander Hudlin, Jasper Emhoff, Arden Emhoff
• Remarks: Senator Cortez Masto of Nevada

21:00

• Performance by Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate
• Remarks: Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore
• Remarks: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
• Performed by: John Legend and Sheila E.
• Remarks: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
• Remarks: Benjamin C. Ingman, former student of Governor Walz
• Remarks: Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz, candidate for Vice President
• Blessing: William Emmanuel Hall, senior pastor of St. James Church in Chicago

“A fight for our freedoms”

The third night of the convention marks a transition from Tuesday’s boisterous party atmosphere to a theme that organizers have called “fighting for our freedoms.” Harris portrays former President Trump as a threat to democracy in general and to abortion rights and other personal choices in particular.

To get the campaign’s message across, Walz will be joined by Clinton — a seasoned convention speaker — as well as other top party stars, including Buttigieg, Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Convention organizers say those speeches will be balanced by testimony from people they describe as “ordinary Americans” whose freedoms depend on the upcoming election.

Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the nonprofit Reproductive Freedom for All, is expected to speak about reproductive rights, which Harris’ campaign sees as a key issue for Democratic voters this fall.

For Harris and the other Democrats, the week so far has been a balancing act. They have tried to tame the euphoria that has gripped their party since President Joe Biden’s resignation while also making it clear to their supporters that the election will be a bitter fight.

Delegates in good spirits after two nights of inspiring speeches

Each day of the convention was memorable in its own way. When the Illinois delegation met on Wednesday morning, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stopped by to speak, and other leaders also gave them encouragement and additional support to help Harris do her job.

Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock reiterated that Harris represents the future of the party and that delegates must do their part.

“Are you all ready to win this election? Are you all ready to make it?” he asked them.

When many saw the Obamas on Tuesday night, they stunned the country, and Michelle Obama’s call to action motivated them more than ever.

“I mean, last night, Michelle and Barack were both outstanding. They were so educational. They were so inspirational,” said Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago).

“I think the energy is there, the Democrats, you know, the base, the Democrats, the regular Democrats, the older Democrats. I think you can feel the growing unity of the Democrats. I think every day is a crescendo in the argument,” said House Representative Marcus Evans (D-Chicago).

And union leaders also promised to take on some of the heavy lifting for Harris between now and November.

“During this election cycle, we will conduct the largest ground campaign in the history of the American labor movement,” said AFL-CIO Secretary Ferd Redman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.