CHICAGO – The second night of the Democratic National Convention focused on the party’s former presidents, particularly Chicago’s Barack Obama. Democrats also went all out to foster bipartisan appeal, featuring a former Donald Trump spokeswoman and a Republican mayor from the swing state of Arizona.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, left Chicago for a rally along the interstate in Milwaukee and to canvass voters in the swing state of Wisconsin, a sign that, despite the positive mood at the convention, Democrats believe this presidential election will be a close one.

Here are some takeaways from the second night of the congress.

The Club of Ex-Presidents

While the Republican convention was all about Trump, the Democrats wanted to put Harris in a pantheon of former presidents on Tuesday. Obama was not the only one to campaign for the vice presidency. The convention also turned to the grandchildren of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy to portray Harris as the natural heir to former Democratic leaders.

As groundbreaking as Harris’ candidacy is as her party’s first woman of color, these speeches by a former president and her descendants were about placing her in a larger historical context and conveying a nostalgic message that can inspire an increasingly aging electorate.

“Kamala Harris is carrying on my grandfather’s legacy,” said Jason Carter, grandson of the 39th president. “She knows what is right and she fights for it.”

Jack Schlossberg said Harris would continue Kennedy’s agenda.

“She believes in America like my grandfather did,” Schlossberg said. “That we don’t do things because they’re easy, but because they’re hard.”

DNC Dance Party

Political conventions technically take place so that delegates can nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates.

This year, Democrats did that job in advance, but that didn’t stop them from holding a ceremonial rerun and turning it into a wild dance party.

DJ Cassidy took the stage in a light blue double-breasted suit and played music for each state as Harris and Walz were nominated. Minnesota got “1999” by Prince, Kansas got “Carry on Wayward Son” by, well, Kansas. “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen was played while New Jersey participated.

Typically, it was governors or party leaders who called the votes, but some states used the microphone to make serious arguments. Kate Cox, who unsuccessfully sued her home state of Texas while seeking an abortion for a nonviable fetus, announced the votes in Texas. A survivor of the 2017 Las Vegas Strip massacre announced the votes in Nevada.

The highlight of the roll calls came when Atlanta rapper Lil Jon marched through the United Center to the beats of “Turn Down for What,” his song with DJ Snake, rapping his support for Harris and Walz.

Democrats like to emphasize how Harris’ rise has given the party new momentum. The roll calls fit that mood.

Harris and Walz make a detour to the contested Milwaukee

Harris and Walz left Chicago overnight to hold a prime-time rally in Milwaukee, packed to the same arena that hosted the Republican National Convention just last month.

Her appearance served as an additional boost of energy for the main event in Chicago, and Harris was beamed into the main hall to thank delegates for their attendance.

In her comments on Wisconsin, Harris repeatedly stressed that the election would be close.

“We know it’s going to be a close race until the end,” she said. “We have hard work ahead of us. … We like hard work; hard work is good work.”

She scoffed when someone in the crowd seemed to shout that she had already won.

A message to Republicans: It’s OK to leave Trump

The Democrats are courting the favor of dissatisfied Trump voters – and are using one of his former White House staffers to do so.

Stephanie Grisham served in a variety of roles in the Trump White House, including communications director and press secretary, allowing Democrats to argue that those who know Trump best have seen him at his worst.

“He has no compassion, no morals and no loyalty to the truth,” Grisham said. “I could no longer be part of this madness.”

Kyle Sweetser, a Trump voter from Alabama, said at the convention that the former president’s tariffs have made life harder for construction workers like him. Republican Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, was also scheduled to speak on Tuesday about why he supports Harris. Giles sees Trump’s policies as damaging to cities like his.

A powerful argument to support the Democrats’ message on Project 2025

Each day of the DNC, a speaker will appear with an oversized tome depicting the conservative Heritage Foundation’s strategy book “Project 2025.”

On the one hand, Project 2025 is a typical Washington effort, bringing together a group of experts and activists to draft a possible agenda for the next president. In this case, the authors include many officials who served in Trump’s administration and remain close to the candidate. Organizers say they have persuaded dozens of conservative groups to join the initiative, making it far more significant than your average collection of policy papers.

Democrats are using the 2025 Project as shorthand for warnings about what could happen in a second Trump term, particularly about possible changes to the civil service regulations to ensure more federal workers are loyal to the president. But the project also contains page after page of other proposals that provide fodder for attacks from the convention.

On Tuesday, it was Malcolm Kenyatta’s turn to brandish the big book. “It’s a radical plan designed to set us back,” he said.

Michigan Senator Gary Peters did not pick up the prop, but mentioned the initiative by name.

And Harris chimed in from Milwaukee, asking the crowd at the rally, “Can you believe they put that in writing?”