Southern Arizona delegates getting ready for Democratic National Convention

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Democratic National Convention starts Monday in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris is set to formally accept the party’s nomination.

This comes after the DNC’s party chair officially certified Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the party’s nominees for president and vice president earlier this month.

Five thousand delegates and alternates are going to be at the convention.

One of those delegates is Joshua Polacheck from Southern Arizona. It’s his first time being a delegate and he says there’s definitely a change in the tone of the party's campaign since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

“There’s this real sense of hope and optimism,” Polacheck said. “There’s been a sense of joy that’s returned to the race.”

That joy will more than likely be on full display at the convention. Polacheck said people can expect speakers from across the country, including swing states like Arizona, to be talking about what they believe will be a positive vision for America.

Polacheck was one of the 85 Democratic delegates from Arizona who all virtually voted for Harris as the party’s nominee a few weeks ago.

Walz will speak at the DNC on Wednesday while Harris will take the stage Thursday to accept the nomination.

“The sense of patriotism and service to our country embodies everything I do and I think it embodies everything that Vice President Harris and coach Governor Walz are bringing to the ticket,” Polacheck said.

President Joe Biden is speaking at the convention on Monday, as well as former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Former president Barack Obama is speaking Tuesday while former president Bill Clinton is speaking on Wednesday.

“We are showing a multi-generational commitment to making the lives of the American voters better,” Polacheck said.

This comes one month after Republicans shared their version of a unified vision for America's future at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. It featured speakers including Arizona's Kari Lake, who is running for U.S. Senate.

This week, former President Donald Trump is going to be traveling to battleground states like North Carolina and Arizona.

This Thursday he plans to be in Cochise County and on Friday he’s hosting a rally in Glendale.