Between the GOP speakers, Oprah’s call to action, and Bill Clinton’s economy brag, the DNC sure seems set on attracting Republicans and independents

Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention tried to cast a big tent of potential Kamala Harris voters.

Here’s something you don’t usually expect: partisans speaking at the convention of the opposing political party.

But that’s exactly what’s been unfolding at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.

It’s just one indication of what Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrats are really after between now and Election Day: the vote of both independents and disillusioned Republicans.

Even before Harris was the party’s nominee, the Biden-Harris campaign was making moves to win over Republicans. In early June, the campaign hired Austin Weatherford, who previously served as chief of staff to GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, to help them do exactly that.

The surge in momentum Harris gained since becoming the nominee — including in the polls and in donations — has fired up the Democratic base and opened the door to focusing even more on courting Republicans and independents.

Those efforts have been on full display at the DNC.

Republicans at the DNC say voting for Harris is about democracy

Several Republicans, including former elected officials and former Trump White House aides, have spoken or are scheduled to speak. And these aren’t former Republicans — some even chose to mention their Republican status during their DNC remarks — but most have already said they are voting for Harris.

The list of Republican speakers includes Stephanie Grisham, a former aide to President Donald Trump and Melania Trump; Kinzinger, the former representative from Illinois (speaking Thursday); Olivia Troye, a former advisor to Vice President Mike Pence; and Geoff Duncan, a former lieutenant governor of Georgia.

Troye and Duncan, who spoke during night three on Wednesday, emphasized that their vote for Harris wasn’t about party or agreeing with all her policies but about defending Democracy.

Bill Clinton mentioned Republicans directly and bragged about the economy

When former President Bill Clinton spoke on Wednesday, one of the first things he said was that he was grateful to the Republicans and independents who’d appeared on the stage before him that night.

He also delivered a big brag about the economy, an issue that Republican voters typically feel strongly about but that’s often seen as a weakness for Democrats. Clinton said that since the end of the Cold War, the US had created 51 million jobs — nearly all of which he said Democrats were responsible for.

“I swear I checked this three times. What’s the score? Democrats 50, Republicans one,” Clinton said.

USA Today fact-checked Clinton’s claim and said those numbers were correct. The outlet noted that economists say a variety of factors impact job numbers, not just the president, and that President George W. Bush and Trump’s jobs numbers were impacted by the start of the recession in 2007 and the pandemic in 2020, respectively.

Several times in his speech, he also mentioned protecting the rights of every single American, “however they vote.” At one point, he said that he’d spoken to a lot of people in rural America and that it was important for Americans to get to know their neighbors and talk to them, even if they disagree with them, another clear attempt to bridge the party gap.

Even Oprah was on message

Oprah, who spoke later Wednesday night, made a direct appeal to independents, saying she counted herself among them.

“You know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again because I’m an American, and that’s what Americans do,” she said.

“I’m calling on all you independents, and all you undecideds. You know this is true, you know I’m telling you the truth, that values and character matter most of all,” she said, adding that “decency and respect are on the ballot.”

Time will tell whether Democrats’ efforts to attract independents and Republicans will ultimately work, winning Harris the swing states she needs to beat Trump.

But she’s already seeing some wins. Earlier this month she released a list of dozens of Republicans who planned to vote for her.