Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for vice president in 2024 in his debut on the national stage on Wednesday, portraying himself as a Midwestern everyman who could appeal to a broad cross-section of voters in November.

Walz delivered the keynote address on an evening that included former President Bill Clinton and a new generation of rising stars in the Democratic Party.

Walz’s speech set the stage for the final night of the convention on Thursday, when Vice President Kamala Harris will accept the party’s nomination for president.

Here are the winners and losers from the third night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

winner

Tim Walz

Walz delivered one of the most powerful vice presidential acceptance speeches in recent congressional history. Walz served in Congress for 12 years before being elected governor in 2019. But this was by far the most significant speech of his political career, and Walz rose to the occasion.

Walz spent the first part of his speech introducing himself to convention-goers and viewers at home who weren’t already familiar with his biography. Walz was a public school teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota, and served in the National Guard for more than two decades. Walz didn’t spend much time on his years as a House member on Wednesday, instead touting his successes as governor in lowering taxes and prescription drug costs.

Having put his own history behind him, Walz made a forceful case for Harris. And in his jovial political style, Walz largely avoided personally attacking former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. Instead, Walz drew a contrast between Republicans and Democrats, arguing that the parties have very different concepts of individual freedom.

“When we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people you love,” Walz said.

The speech underscored the qualities that drew Harris to put Walz on the ballot. Minnesota is not a major swing state, but Walz showed that his role as a football coach turned politician could resonate with independents and moderate Republicans in the Midwest and beyond.

Wes Moore

Maryland Governor Wes Moore made history in 2022 when he was elected as his state’s first Black governor and only the third Black governor in the country. Moore was endorsed by President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and other leading Democrats. Yet despite his historic victory, Moore is not well known to most Americans.

That changed on Wednesday. Moore’s speech at the convention made him an instant star of the Democratic Party and brought him into the conversation as a future presidential candidate. Moore, who was an author and businessman before entering politics, is one of the party’s most gifted communicators. He managed to weave his own compelling life story into his speech on Wednesday, while keeping the focus on Harris.

At just 45 years old, Moore has a bright future ahead of him in Democratic politics. To stay in the spotlight, he will need to be re-elected in 2026. If Harris wins in November, Moore will also likely attract attention as a potential Cabinet nominee. Either way, Moore established himself on Wednesday as someone to keep an eye on.

Josh Shapiro

Moore is not the only Democratic governor to make waves on Wednesday. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro – who was on Harris’s running mate – also received high praise for his speech at the convention, which he gave shortly before Walz’s acceptance speech.

The timing was a little bad. Shapiro’s prime-time speaking appearance on the same night as Walz offered Democrats a side-by-side comparison of what Harris’s ticket would have looked like had she taken a different path. And while Walz was the center of attention on Wednesday, Shapiro may have left some Democrats wondering whether Harris made the right choice.

Being passed over for vice president can be a blessing or a curse. It remains to be seen what effect it will have on Shapiro’s career. But as governor of a key swing state, Shapiro can at least expect to remain at the center of Democratic politics for the remainder of his first term, if not longer.

loser

Comedy routine for Project 2025

Kenan Thompson, a longtime Saturday Night Live cast member, was hired for a comedy number on Project 2025 on Wednesday. The performance was a flop. As a prop, Thompson appeared on stage with an oversized book containing the conservative Heritage Foundation’s 900-page guide to a second Trump term.

“Have you ever seen a document that can kill a small animal and kill democracy at the same time?” Thompson said.

Thompson’s jokes provided a moment of hilarity that night. But they also undermined a core message of the convention and of Harris’ campaign: that voters should take Project 2025 seriously as a blueprint for how Trump might govern if he returns to power. Thompson seemed to realize this toward the end of his appearance. “Everything we just talked about is very real,” he said.

Cory Booker

The New Jersey senator’s early speaking appearance on Wednesday highlighted how much his star has faded since his 2019 White House campaign. Booker appeared onstage to announce a musical performance and then returned to deliver a speech that echoed the hopeful themes of his brief presidential campaign.

Booker had a few good moments. He got the convention crowd to shout and respond, “I believe in America.” And he got a standing ovation from his home state delegation. But by prime time, when Clinton, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and rising party stars like Moore and Shapiro were appearing, Booker was long gone.