CHICAGO — A few weeks ago, Georgia Democrats nervously declared themselves united behind President Joe Biden ahead of the party’s nominating convention, with some saying they would even back an inanimate object if that’s what it took to defeat Donald Trump.

That’s not what it takes anymore. With the trajectory of the campaign upended after Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as the party’s nominee, the Democratic National Convention that kicks off Monday promises to be a complex political showcase.

It will, of course, be a celebration of the historic candidacy of Harris, the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to win a major party’s nomination. Over four days, her policies, her politics and her personal story will take center stage at the United Center.

But it will also serve as a sendoff for Biden, the first Democrat to capture Georgia in nearly three decades whose disastrous debate performance in Atlanta set the stage for an intense pressure campaign to withdraw from the race.

Party leaders say the gala will be a “joyful” contrast to the Republican nominating convention last month in Milwaukee, which put on display both the GOP unity behind Trump but also a dim, even dystopic, view of Democratic policies at work across the nation.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

That’s evidenced in the planning for the event, which is set to spotlight several Georgia speakers who will underscore the state’s pivotal role. It will also feature a surge of celebrities, some from Atlanta, who are set to shape a decidedly different convention.

With polls tightening in Georgia and other battleground states, Georgia Democrats are less concerned about excitement surrounding Biden — an ever-present undercurrent of his now-scuttled reelection bid — and more about sustaining the intensity behind Harris.

“One of the most important things the vice president has done is identify that early enthusiasm doesn’t automatically translate to a winning campaign,” said former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, a key Harris ally and top party leader.

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“She makes it clear she’s running from behind, she knows how hard it’s going to be, and she’s working to level-set with voters,” Franklin said.

Georgia Republicans are banking on a sharp drop-off. Even the most devoted of Trump supporters acknowledge the race has been transformed with Harris’ ascendance. But they say Trump can retake the momentum if he wages a shrewd, issues-focused campaign.

Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon said Democrats “should have a good week” if they avoid internal turmoil over the Israel-Hamas war in Chicago, where public safety officials have warned of unprecedented security arrangements and massive protests.

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“But then they’re going to come back to Earth,” he predicted. “It’s like someone drinking a sugary cola. There’s a sugar high, and then there’s a crash. Then the wheels are going to come off.”

‘Keep it up’

It’s Trump’s campaign, however, that’s struggled mightily with the new dynamics of the race.

The former president baffled supporters during a weeklong stretch where he questioned Harris’ racial identity at a conference of Black journalists and then reopened raw wounds among state Republicans by breathing new life into a one-sided feud with Gov. Brian Kemp.

ExploreDonald Trump’s ‘stupid’ swipes at Brian Kemp come at a terrible time for the GOP in Georgia

State Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, a Gwinnett County Democrat who is one of the party’s delegates to Chicago, said her first instinct was to egg on the infighting across the aisle: “It’s a fantastic thing and I hope they keep it up.”

But she also recognizes that in a competitive state such as Georgia, Democrats can’t be overconfident. Biden bested Trump in 2020 by fewer than 12,000 votes, after all, with a fragile coalition that hinged on soaring Black turnout and white swing voters.

That’s hard to re-create, especially with Republican forces aligned behind Trump in a way they haven’t been since he last captured the state in 2016. (That includes Kemp, who said electing a Republican to the White House outweighs the latest tiff between the two.)

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Hutchinson said she can’t help but think back to that election, when Hillary Rodham Clinton lost Georgia by about 5 percentage points.

“In 2016, we had a woman that was very qualified, that had the best resume for the job — and lost miserably,” Hutchinson said. “So part of my trepidation is: Is the country ready to have the best person for the job on the top of the ticket — and be successful?”

She then answered her own question with a resounding affirmation: “Everyone, on both sides, has been surprised at the reaction. I wasn’t expecting the amount of energy and excitement from all corners of the country.”

Expect elements of that Georgia coalition to be on display during the convention.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who won reelection in 2022 thanks in large part to split-ticket voters, could be among the biggest draws during the convention and is set for a primetime speaking slot on Monday. He’s emerged as one of the most sought-after Democratic figures in the nation and a potential 2028 candidate.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

So could former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, one of the nation’s most prominent “Never Trumper” Republicans. So disdained by his former allies, Duncan faces an attempt by the state GOP to exile him — and brand him a “trespasser” at party events — after he endorsed Harris.

And a constellation of cultural stars is expected to surface in Chicago as rumors swirl about appearances from A-list celebrities who might have been more reluctant to attend just a few weeks ago.

One must-attend calendar item that’s already been included in the 17-page agenda sent to Georgia delegates: a party at a Chicago nightclub thrown by the state Democratic Party that’s hosted by Atlanta rapper Lil Jon.

McKoon is among the Trump allies who say that’s window dressing papering over “far left” policies that led to worsening rates of uncontrolled migration at the U.S. border with Mexico and fueled an inflationary economy during parts of Biden’s term.

“I do the grocery shopping in my house, and I get a weekly reminder of what the Biden-Harris policies have done to our country,” McKoon said. “Those are the things that people are going to be concerned about.”

State Democrats say they’re ready to scrap with Trump on that ground, too, armed with Harris’ proclamation in Atlanta that she would revive a bipartisan border security bill scuttled earlier this year at the urging of the former president.

She also unveiled the pillars of her economic agenda this week, including pledges to combat price gouging at grocery stores.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, a South Carolina native with deep Georgia roots, said Democrats have seeded 24 field offices and more than 150 staffers throughout the state. More than 35,000 volunteers have signed up in Georgia since Harris became the nominee.

Of GOP predictions of a “sugar high” letdown in a few weeks, Harrison could only laugh.

“They can wish and hope for these things. Hell, I got a Christmas list, too,” he said. “But at the end of the day, this is about organizing on the ground and pushing forward. We’re going to win this race. And we’re going to win Georgia.”