Democratic National Convention Committee
August 26, 2024

Democratic National Convention Highlights Convention Week Surrogate Booking Operation with Nearly 1,500 Interviews Facilitated

CHICAGO – Today, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced that its surrogate booking operation secured and facilitated over 1,500 interviews during the convention. Over the course of the week, the surrogate booking operation paired key Democratic voices with national TV and radio, media in every battleground state, Black media, Spanish language media, women’s media, podcasts, and other specialty press for both in-person and remote interviews. Democrats are reaching new audiences and taking the message of the Harris-Walz ticket to the American people, and these metrics are further proof of how our convention helped bring that story to households across the country. 

“The surrogate booking operation was a vital piece of the convention’s success, ensuring that the stories of our party, our people, and our nominees were seen and heard on airwaves across the nation,” said Nora Keefe, Director of Surrogate Communications at the DNCC. “This year’s convention reached people where they are, and our surrogates were instrumental in bringing the story of the Harris-Walz ticket to voters on every platform, in every corner of the country.”

In addition to directly booking with battleground TV and radio stations, the surrogate booking operation also secured an average of over 25 interviews with TV syndicates each day, totalling to over 1,500 interviews facilitated throughout convention week. These syndicates sent the interviews to their affiliate stations in key battleground markets across the country, ensuring our message reached the critical voters who will decide this November’s election.

The surrogate booking operation utilized over 300 surrogates during the convention, including delegates, everyday Americans, and elected officials. The convention also leveraged the voices of prominent advocates and issue-area leaders, Republicans, rising stars within the party, and more. This broad coalition represented trusted voices for various constituencies and amplified our message to Americans across the country.

Key Highlights:
Between 350-450 interviews secured and facilitated daily
Interviews conducted with media in every battleground state
Nearly 500 interviews conducted on Media Row
Over 300 surrogates from across the Harris-Walz coalition

As part of our work to expand our reach to voters across the country, the Democratic National Convention offered Americans more ways to watch and engage than ever before, streaming on over a dozen platforms. For the first time in convention history, the convention also hosted vertical streams across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, in addition to the convention being streamed online on a variety of platforms including Amazon Prime Video, TV device apps such as Apple TV and Roku TV, and traditional television broadcasts.