It’s going to be an interesting week.
Democrats are gathering in Philadelphia for their four-day national convention, one day after the resignation of Party Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Prominent party members had pressed for her resignation after a WikiLeaks release of stolen emails revealed that she had been helping Hillary Clinton in the primaries and undermining her key rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
And if that’s not interesting enough, this leak was swiftly followed by a potential cybersecurity subplot involving the Kremlin. Has Russian President Vladimir Putin found a way to influence the U.S. election?
There’s evidence Russian state actors broke into the DNC, stole those emails, and there are experts saying they are releasing these emails for the purpose of helping Donald Trump. It’s no coincidence these emails were released on the eve of the convention.
Robby Mook, Clinton campaign manager
The end of these four days, Clinton – who will at that point be the first woman to ever headline a major party’s presidential ticket – might bounce to a big lead over Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, or might slump into a too-close-to-call rivalry that lingers into the fall.
Here are 10 things to watch this week that will determine whether the convention is a success for Clinton.
The polls open nationally in 106 days. Let’s get started.