Former rival Sanders, Republican Kasich to back Biden as Democratic convention opens
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The first session officially opened at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT on Tuesday).
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former rival Bernie Sanders and prominent Republican John Kasich joined forces in a display of unity for Joe Biden on Monday, the opening night of a Democratic convention showcasing the broad coalition arrayed against President Donald Trump.
Former first lady Michelle Obama will cap a parade of speakers making the case for a Biden presidency during a four-day virtual convention to formally nominate him as the Democratic challenger to Trump in the Nov. 3 U.S. election.
"In response to the unprecedented set of crises we face, we need an unprecedented response - a movement, like never before, of people who are prepared to stand up and fight for democracy and decency," Sanders, a U.S. senator and Biden's top primary rival, was set to tell the convention.
The first session officially opened at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT on Tuesday).
The coronavirus pandemic forced Democrats to overhaul the convention, largely eliminating the in-person gathering planned for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and turning it into four nights of two-hour, prime-time packages of virtual speeches and events.
The virus outbreak has raised concerns people will find it difficult to vote in November. Democrats have raised concerns that under Trump, cost cuts at the Postal Service could lead to missed or delayed ballots.
Kasich, a former Ohio governor and frequent Trump critic who lost to Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, planned to describe his opposition to Trump as a patriotic duty, according to excerpts of his speech.
"I'm a lifelong Republican, but that attachment holds second place to my responsibility to my country," he was set to say.
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Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said Kasich "was a loser as a Republican and he'll be a loser as a Democrat."
Other Republicans on the speakers list included former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chief Executive Meg Whitman. Their inclusion has angered some Democrats concerned it would take time away from key progressive speakers like Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
But Cedric Richmond, a Louisiana congressman and Biden campaign co-chair, pushed back against that idea, telling reporters earlier in the day, "Remember tonight's theme is 'We the People,' not 'We the Democrats.'"
As the convention opened, Trump looked to steal Biden's spotlight by crisscrossing the United States in a precedent-breaking campaign swing, visiting Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Biden leads Trump in national opinion polls heading into back-to-back convention weeks for the two political parties. Trump will be formally nominated for a second term at next week's Republican National Convention, which also has been scaled back due to coronavirus concerns.
Speaking at a fundraiser before the convention's prime-time broadcast, Biden, 77, said: "We've got to unite this country. It's the only way it's going to work."
Biden, who was vice president under Barack Obama, will be formally nominated on Tuesday to be the Democratic challenger to Trump, 74, in the Nov. 3 election. Biden's acceptance speech on Thursday will cap the convention.
Biden's vice presidential pick, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California, the daughter of immigrant parents from India and Jamaica, will speak on Wednesday.
Democrats hope the opening night lineup will offer a contrast to 2016, when lingering bitterness between rivals Sanders and nominee Hillary Clinton contributed to her eventual loss to Trump.
This year, Sanders dropped out of the primary race in April and swiftly endorsed Biden.
The first night also features an array of Americans dealing with challenges created by the coronavirus outbreak, including economic fallout, and working to fight racial injustice amid protests against police brutality, organizers said.
BUILDING ENTHUSIASM
Without the cheering crowds of a typical convention, organizers face a challenge in trying to build enthusiasm among supporters.
But the program could give less involved voters a chance to learn more about Biden on a personal level, said Erik Smith, a Democratic strategist who was the creative director for the last three party conventions.
"They may know his name, but they don't know that much about him as a person," Smith said. "The convention can fill in the blanks for people."
Trump also plans visits to Arizona on Tuesday and the area around Biden's birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. The busy campaign schedule represents a break from tradition.
Candidates from the opposing party usually limit their activities during their opponents' convention week because it is difficult to get media attention. Trump, scrambling to catch up in the polls, seeks to use it to better define Biden.
The Democrats' slimmed-down schedule of speakers prompted grumbling from some young, progressive and Latino activists, who say the program does not highlight the party's diverse views or give enough time to its lesser-known rising stars.
Ocasio-Cortez is scheduled to speak later in the week. Organizers said on Sunday they also will highlight 17 young politicians who are considered future stars, having them share the traditional keynote address in an effort to highlight the party's racial, ethnic and gender diversity.
Andrew Yang, an Asian-American entrepreneur and former 2020 presidential candidate, also said he was added to the roster after he expressed disappointment that he had been left off.
(Reporting by John Whitesides, additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Philadelphia, Trevor Hunnicutt in Wilmington, Delaware, and Tim Reid in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone, Colleen Jenkins, Paul Simao and Howard Goller)