Tim Walz and Bill Clinton are the headlines of the Democrats' third day at the DNC

CHICAGO (AP) – Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz and former president Bill Clinton are headliners of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, the third day of the choreographed rollout of the party a new candidate, Kamala Harrisand their appeal to the voters.

Walz faces a double task in his speech in Chicago. The governor of Minnesota, the become known among his supporters as a folksy Midwestern teacher, coach and father who will introduce himself to the rest of the country. He must also articulate the central message of the campaign and the theme of the evening: that a second term for Donald Trump would endanger American freedoms.

The third night of the convention marks a transition from Tuesday's boisterous party atmosphere to a theme that organizers have called “fighting for our freedoms.” Harris portrays former President Trump as a threat to democracy in general and to abortion rights and other personal choices in particular.

To spread the campaign’s message, Walz is supported by Clinton – a Veteran of the political convention speech — as well as a mix of the party's other top stars, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Convention organizers say those speeches will be balanced by remarks from people they describe as “ordinary Americans” whose freedoms depend on the upcoming election.

Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the nonprofit Reproductive Freedom for All, is expected to speak about reproductive rights, which Harris' campaign sees as a key issue for Democratic voters this fall.

Also on Wednesday's schedule are two governors, Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, as well as several Democratic senators: Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

Trump, meanwhile, hold its first outdoor rally since he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last month. He will speak at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame, his podium surrounded by bulletproof glass.

Many Americans had never heard of Walz until Harris chose him for her candidacy. In the early weeks of his campaign, he charmed supporters with his background as a teacher and football coach, helping Harris balance her coastal background as a cultural representative of the Midwestern states whose voters she needs this fall.

But Walz was also scrutinized, among other things for whitewashing his past. His wife this week clarified that she had not undergone in vitro fertilizationas Walz has repeatedly claimed, but used other fertility treatments. Republicans have also criticized Walz for Comment from 2018 He made a comment about carrying weapons in war. Although he served in the National Guard for 24 years, he was never deployed to a war zone.

Despite it, Survey data shows that despite initial difficulties, Walz had a smoother start as Harris's running mate than Republican JD Vance, Trump's nominee for vice president.

About a third of U.S. adults (36%) have a favorable opinion of Walz, while about a quarter (27%) have a favorable opinion of Vance, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Significantly more adults have an unfavorable opinion of Vance than of Walz, 44% to 25%.

For Harris and the other Democrats, the week so far has been a balancing act. They have tried to tame the euphoria that has gripped their party since President Joe Biden's resignation while also making it clear to their supporters that the election will be a bitter fight.

In Chicago, the second day of the convention oscillated between light-hearted celebrations and more serious warnings. A symbolic vote turned into a dance partywith surprise musical appearances like Lil Jon performing “Turn Down for What,” his song with DJ Snake.

But former President Barack Obama also delivered a more sober message in his keynote speech: “Make no mistake, it’s going to be a fight.”

“There is so much at stake in this election,” Harris said Tuesday in Milwaukee, where she spoke at a professional basketball arena in the battleground state of Wisconsin while the party convention continued 90 miles away in Chicago. “And understand, this is not 2016 or 2020. There is more at stake.”

Harris will return to Chicago on Wednesday for the third night of the convention.

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Associated Press writers Ali Swenson in New York and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.