On the campaign trail during the primary, former President Bill Clinton made a pitch for his wife as the “best change-maker I’ve ever known." | AP Photo Bill Clinton gets Tuesday convention speaking slot

Bill Clinton is scheduled to deliver a prime-time address on the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, a source with knowledge of the still-in-flux schedule told POLITICO.

The former president is writing his own speech, and Clinton’s top aides are hoping he can deliver for his wife the same kind of oratorically inspired pitch he made for President Obama at the 2012 convention in Charlotte. That year, Clinton gave a 48-minute address widely thought to have laid out a more compelling case for Obama's reelection than the president himself had made during his campaign.


“All I know is he’s writing it himself, which gives me some confidence,” Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta said in a recent interview, unrelated to the convention or the schedule. “It’ll be good. He’s always good. Remember what he did for Obama in North Carolina. People micro-pick his mistakes. I think if you look at his change-maker stuff, it’s good and effective.”

On the campaign trail during the primary, Clinton made a pitch for his wife as the “best change-maker I’ve ever known.” But he’s generally thought to be a more effective surrogate for politicians who are not Hillary Clinton -- aides fear he can sometimes overshadow her with his more natural oratorical skills, or at times confuse her message with the mixed legacy of his crime bill.

Details of this year’s convention schedule have started to trickle out in recent days, but the campaign has yet to release an official schedule. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was reportedly invited to speak on theconvention’s opening night on Monday, one day before Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak. That slot was thought to be a sign that she will not be selected as Clinton’s running mate, as the vice presidential nominee typically speaks later in the four-day program.

But a DNC spokeswoman said the schedule is still very much in flux and all slots are subject to change.

Bernie Sanders is also expected to get a prime time speaking slot after his full-throated endorsement of Clinton earlier this week, but the campaign would not say when he is scheduled to speak. His campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesman for Bill Clinton and a Hillary Clinton campaign spokesman both declined to comment about the schedule, or the former president’s expected role or time slot.

