Democratic operatives planning next month’s national convention in Philadelphia have reached out to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony Award-winning writer and star of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” about performing at the Wells Fargo Center, sources told POLITICO.

It’s part of an ambitious plan to generate excitement and boost television viewership for the party convention after what Democrats expect to be a four-day reality show at the Republican convention in Cleveland.


Miranda’s name currently tops a lineup of A-list stars, including well-known "young pop artists" whomClinton campaign and Democratic National Committee officials are reaching out to as convention program planning gets underway, according to Democrats familiar with the process.

Miranda — who free-styled in the Rose Garden earlier this year with President Barack Obama and whose show is now selling tickets for as much as $10,000 a pop — is proving a tough get even for Clinton. The star performer and composer, who last week announced he will leave his Broadway production July 9, is scheduled to be in London filming a Disney remake of “Mary Poppins” the week of the Democratic convention.

His father, Luis Miranda Jr., a major player in New York Democratic politics, said, “There is no truth to these rumors” about his son’s potential star turn at the convention. A spokesman for the Clinton campaign and a spokesman for the DNC declined to comment.

But the push for Miranda, as well as other A-listers with a point of view, is a sign that Clinton operatives are seeking to engage core Democratic groups like young voters, African-Americans and Latinos, with headliners other than the expected roster of gray-haired politicians.

“The nights are three-hour prime-time TV shows,” said PR executive Ken Sunshine, a Clinton fundraiser with deep ties to the entertainment world. “Entertainment and adding excitement become a key part of it, as opposed to hard-core politics. The one that understands that is Trump, except that’s all he seems to understand.”

Unlike the GOP — where party leaders like Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain and the entire Bush family have all said they plan to sit out the convention — Democrats have a deep bench of political heavyweights to choose from as headliners. Obama is expected to speak, playing the role of the highest-profile “convert” to Clinton, giving skeptical progressives and independents license to support his former rival.

Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton’s still-to-be-selected running mate are also expected to have prime-time slots. First lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden could also make the case for Clinton, and Bernie Sanders is expected to deliver a prime-time speech if he concedes before July 25.

The ultimate goal of the convention, according to operatives involved in the planning, is to produce a “coming together” moment that unites the party against Trump.

But second to party unity is the goal of producing some memorable, watchable moments that will encourage core Democratic demos to tune in to the live cable coverage of the four-day convention — and share it broadly across social media.

Unlike the 2008 convention in Denver, at which Democrats nominated Obama on a mandate of hope and change and needed to introduce him on the biggest stage of his political life, Clinton, for many Democratic voters, feels like a known commodity. She’s an establishment politician with high unfavorable ratings, who has spoken at every Democratic convention for the past two decades and struggled over the past year to generate enthusiasm for her campaign.

With back-to-back conventions — Trump’s nominating convention in Cleveland is July 18-21, followed by Clinton’s convention in Philadelphia July 25-28 — some Democrats feel a need to create additional experiences around the nominee that can energize voters.

Going second is considered an advantage — it gives Democrats the last word. And Clinton campaign insiders said much of what takes place in Philadelphia will be in reaction to the Republican convention, making contrasts with Trump a key consideration throughout the four days. The campaign will also have a “counter convention” presence in Cleveland, headed up by deputy communications director Christina Reynolds, sources said. Clinton’s campaign would not say how many rapid response operatives it plans to send to Cleveland.

View Hamilton star raps with Obama Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda raps with President Obama at the White House. From the White House Twitter account

But following — and countering — an unconventional candidate like Trump also raises the entertainment stakes in Philadelphia. In Cleveland, Trump plans to flout tradition by possibly taking the stage every night himself, and announcing his running mate live on prime-time television.

"He's a political Kardashian,” said Democratic strategist Tommy Vietor, a former aide to Obama. “His campaign has been the longest, grossest sex tape ever released.”

Some Democrats involved with the campaign worry that without big, out-of-the-box “moments,” Trump coverage — even if it’s negative — will spill over into Clinton’s big week. And while Clinton seems to have found her footing attacking an opponent whose bare-bones campaign appears to be in free fall, her campaign still needs to put out a clear and positive message about the Democratic nominee. Entertaining acts can accentuate that, said Clinton allies.

“Good entertainment doesn’t have to appeal to the lowest level of expression,” said Sunshine. “Great art and humor can be inspirational, uplifting, can celebrate our diversity instead of cheap laughs at the expense of other Americans.”

Clinton has no shortage of celebrities to choose from. Pop stars like Katy Perry, Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera have performed at fundraisers and campaign rallies. Perry, who performed at a Clinton rally in Des Moines ahead of last year’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Iowa, was so enthralled with the campaign, operatives said, that she requested a meeting with Clinton’s policy advisers and then sat through the hours-long rubber chicken dinner listening to speeches by local elected officials.

Beyoncé has also attended a Clinton fundraiser. Hollywood power brokers like Steven Spielberg, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Rob Reiner are all backing Clinton. Oprah Winfrey announced her endorsement last week. And comedians like Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham have acted as stalwart campaign surrogates.

“They won’t have a lack of entertainment,” said a close Clinton ally.

But some veterans of conventions past warn about relying too heavily on getting a lift from bold-faced names, pointing to the Republicans’ failed Clint Eastwood strategy from 2012, when the actor delivered a widely mocked surprise speech at the Tampa convention, addressing an empty chair.

“You certainly want to do things that would draw eyes,” said Democratic strategist and former Obama aide Ben LaBolt. “The risk of doing something outrageous is Clint Eastwood under a different name. That was the Republican thinking heading into the last one, and they way overshot the runway and landed on the moon.”

Of any entertainment ideas, he said, “It’s got to serve the core message. Outsourcing the convention to Clint Eastwood is not a good idea.”

Added Brent Colburn, Obama’s 2012 convention communications director: “You could have the entire cast of ‘Hamilton’ singing the entire four days, but you have to ask yourself what that gets you besides really great television. Ratings aren’t the measure of success, votes are.”

Other Clinton allies are feeling confident as the former secretary of state appears to be hitting her stride while Trump blunders through one of the worst months of any campaign. For them, the key to the convention is to take few chances and avoid screwing up.

“Democrats don’t have to focus on being entertaining,” Clinton fundraiser and DNC member Robert Zimmerman said. “We just have to articulate our message that we’re ready to lead.”