Next up at the Democratic convention: Republican speakers

Democrats gathered in Chicago for their nominating convention will hear from several Republicans who have received key speaking spots.

It won’t just be Democrats speaking at their convention in Chicago this week. Several Republicans have also received key speaking spots. While some of the biggest names among Republicans opposed to Donald Trump have remained on the sidelines, others will be taking to the United Center stage throughout the the week to lay out the case for why they’re there – and why they think other conservatives should join them in voting for Kamala Harris. Two prominent speakers are from key battleground states: John Giles, the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, and Geoff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor of Georgia. Both have already endorsed Harris. They’ll be joined by Olivia Troye, a former Trump White House national security official who joined Harris for an event in Michigan just a few days before Joe Biden dropped out of the race. CNN previously reported that former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger will speak on Thursday evening ahead of Harris. (Both Duncan and Kinzinger are CNN contributors.) “I’ve been a Republican all my life. But since Donald Trump refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, the Republican Party has spiraled further and further into political extremism,” Giles said. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who spoke at the 2020 Democratic convention by video, will not speak at this year’s gathering.