2020 Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention, a virtual production since the COVID-19 pandemic led party officials to cancel all in-person plans in Milwaukee, featured presenters including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and longtime Republicans including John Kasich and Cindy McCain, who lent her voice to a documentary showcasing her late husband Sen. John McCain’s personal and professional relationship with the Democratic presidential nominee.

The unusual format, with just eight hours of prime-time programming spread over four nights from Aug. 17-20, sought to project a cohesive message to a splintered electorate wrenched by a pandemic, a devastated economy and an ongoing reckoning on systemic racism.

Joe Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination with a vow to be a unifying “ally of the light” who would move an America in crisis past the chaos of President Donald Trump’s tenure.

“Here and now I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. l’ll be an ally of the light, not the darkness,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America.”