Biden, Harris to give DNC convention speeches at Chase Center in Wilmington

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, will deliver their convention speeches at the Chase Center in Wilmington next week, the Biden campaign said Thursday. 

In the days leading up to the Democratic National Convention, there has been speculation about where the former vice president would deliver the biggest speech of his political career. 

Biden was scheduled to accept the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in Milwaukee. But due to the coronavirus, he will accept the nomination next Thursday in Wilmington. Harris will speak Wednesday night. 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is set to speak Monday night, while former President Bill Clinton will speak Tuesday. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama will both speak Wednesday. 

Delaware's U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester are also scheduled to speak at the convention next week. 

On Wednesday, Biden and Harris made their first appearance as a presidential ticket.

Unlike previous presidential campaigns, the candidates did not address a roaring crowd of supporters. Instead, they gave remarks at a gym in A.I. du Pont High School in Greenville that was filled with about a dozen reporters and some campaign staff. 

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Due to the coronavirus, Delaware has played an unexpected role in Biden’s campaign for the presidency. The candidate has had to skip the traditional campaign events and instead conduct virtual interviews, town halls and fundraisers from his basement.

In recent weeks, Biden has attacked President Donald Trump from Wilmington community centers and churches and unveiled economic recovery plans in Delaware high school gyms. 

Harris, 55, is the first Black and South Asian American woman to be on a major party's ticket for vice president. She was among a handful of Black women being considered for vice president. 

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Harris has had ties to the Biden family for years. She was a close friend of Beau Biden, Delaware’s attorney general who died of brain cancer in 2015. The two worked closely, as respective attorneys general, in the midst of the housing crisis.

On early Thursday afternoon, Biden and Harris had two briefings with public health and economic experts at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, focusing on the pandemic and economic downturn. 

In afternoon remarks that lasted less than 10 minutes, Biden called for governors immediately to mandate that Americans wear masks outside for the next three months, in order to prevent more COVID-19-related deaths. The candidates did not take questions from reporters.

In Delaware, Gov. John Carney has required residents to wear masks in public settings.

"Protect your fellow citizens," Biden said. "Step up. Do the right thing."

Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.