The Convention was a Hit! Now What?

The Democratic National Committee just wrapped up a very successful convention. To say things simply went well would be an understatement. Many of the party's stars spoke eloquently over 4 nights in support of the Harris-Walz ticket and other Democratic priorities. The convention attendees exuded a high level of excitement, energy, and enthusiasm throughout the event. And most importantly, Kamala and Tim delivered two amazing speeches in the final two nights. So where do we go from here?

Recent polling shows that since replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris has been catching Donald Trump in the polls. She was consistently behind several weeks ago, but now leads in several national polls. The polling data seems to get better by the day and the Harris-Walz ticket should soon be getting an additional polling bump from the now concluded convention.

But this is not the time to get overconfident. President Clinton warned in his convention speech that you should never underestimate your adversary. Donald Trump is not going to casually watch his lead evaporate over the upcoming weeks without a political fight to the death. And we know that Donald Trump does not play fair. He will lie, distort, cheat, and even interfere with the voting process if he feels he needs to do so to win the presidency.

And numerous potential obstacles still lie ahead for both parties. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is rumored to be announcing his withdrawal from the race later today. There is speculation he may then endorse Trump. On September 10, Harris and Trump will be debating, followed by an October 1 debate between Walz and Vance. September 18 is a possible sentencing date for Trump for his hush money criminal case. And you never know if one or more unexpected, impactful events or news stories will emerge from nowhere to affect the election's outcomes. And even though the presidential race is the highest profile race, there are many other national Democratic candidates that need to be elected too. Don't forget that they need help.

So let the success of the convention motivate you. Democrats are truly united and energized coming out of the convention. But do not lull yourself into thinking the race is over. In a presidential election year, 74 days is a lifetime. Keep working hard for Democratic candidates all the way up to November 5! As Tim Walz said in his motivational Wednesday night speech, "We'll sleep when we're dead!"