The Democratic presidential nomination process has truly been a brutal race to the convention between Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
However, it’s coming to a close after Sanders officially endorsed Clinton. His endorsement poses a unique set of challenges for the party who is striving for unity behind Clinton to face off with the likely Republican nomination, Donald Trump. With the convention set to take place in a little over a week, here’s what you need to know:
When is the Democratic National Convention?
The convention will be held on July 25 to 28, 2016. It’s scheduled after the Republicans gathered in Cleveland for their convention this week.
This year, the DNC is held much earlier than years past. For example, in 2008 it was held on August 25 and in 2012, the convention wasn’t held until September 4.
Where will the Democratic National Convention be held?
This year, the convention will be held at the Wells Fargo Center in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, PA with Reverend Leah D. Daughtry as CEO.
Philadelphia, an overwhelmingly blue city, has not hosted a Democratic National Convention since 1948. However, in 2000, the city hosted the Republican National Convention.
Who will be at the convention?
The convention is expected to draw a crowd of over 50,000 attendees, including 4,765 available delegates. Only delegates and credentialed press are allowed inside the convention complex, which will be heavily guarded by security.
Those attending wishing to protest must obtain permits for their demonstrations, which will be confined to six zones within a park across the street from the convention.
Who is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention?
Elizabeth Warren is slotted to give the keynote address and we can expect to see speeches from Senator Bernie Sanders, Bill and Chelsea Clinton as well as President Barack Obama.
What happens at the convention?
At the convention, delegates will choose which candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will move forward to the general election as the Democratic Party’s nominee. Delegates can be broken into two main groups: pledged delegates, who are obligated to vote for a specific candidate as a result of primary and caucus elections, and unpledged delegates, or superdelegates, who are free to vote for any candidate.
Does Hillary Clinton already have enough delegates to clinch the nomination?
In total, Clinton has 2,807 delegates going into the convention with 2,205 of those delegates being pledged delegates, and 602 superdelegates. At the DNC, a candidate needs to obtain 2,383 delegates to win the nomination, which puts Clinton just 63 delegates shy of the nomination.
How can I watch the DNC?
This year, the DNC is utilizing a plethora of livestream and cable platforms for viewing to optimize accessibility. You can also follow us on Twitter @IAgreetoSee to follow the latest news from the convention.
Check out the latest Clinton ads and others from the 2016 presidential election here.