Four prominent Republicans will join leftwing senator Bernie Sanders on the virtual stage for the first night of the Democratic National Convention, as the party attempts to show a broad coalition of support for Joe Biden. 

John Kasich, the 2016 Republican presidential candidate and former governor of Ohio, will be one of the headline speakers for the party’s first hour of programming on Monday evening. The event will also feature former first lady Michelle Obama and Mr Sanders, the former Democratic candidate and self-described democratic socialist whose far-left political agenda endeared him to the party’s young progressive wing.

Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey; Meg Whitman, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive and Republican candidate for California governor; and Susan Molinari, a former Republican congresswoman from New York who gave the keynote speech at the 1996 Republican convention, will also make appearances at the virtual event.