The 1972 National Convention of the United States Democratic Party nominated Senator George McGovern for President and Senator Thomas Eagleton for Vice President. Eagleton later withdrew from the race when it was disclosed that he had undergone mental health treatment (including electroshock therapy) in the past. He was replaced on the ballot by Sargent Shriver. The convention itself was one of the most bizarre in recent American history, with sessions beginning in the early evening and lasting until sunrise the next morning, and previously-excluded political activists gaining influence at the expense of elected officials and traditional core Democratic constituencies such as organized labor.

The 1980 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated President Jimmy Carter for President and Vice President Walter Mondale for Vice President.

The 1980 convention was notable, as it was the last time in the 20th century, for either major party, that a candidate tried to get delegates released from their voting commitments. This was done by Massachuetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Carter's chief rival for the nomination in the Democratic primaries, who sought the votes of delegates held by Carter.

The 1988 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia from July 18–July 21, 1988 to select a candidate for the 1988 United States presidential election. At the convention Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts was nominated for President and Senator Lloyd M. Bentsen of Texas for Vice President. The chair of the convention was Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Jim Wright.

The 1996 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois from August 26 to August 29, 1996. The convention's keynote speaker was Governor Evan Bayh of Indiana with the nomination speech given by Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut. Other notable speakers included former New York governor Mario Cuomo, First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, actor Christopher Reeve, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and other legislators such as Senators Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, and John Kerry and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. President Bill Clinton was nominated unanimously for a second term and Vice President Al Gore by voice vote.

The convention was one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings of the Democratic Party with a primary focus on officially nominating a candidate for President and adopting a party platform. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson served as chairman while former presidential advisor to Bill Clinton, Lottie Shackelford, served as vice chairwoman.

Defining moments of the 2004 Democratic National Convention included the featured keynote speech of Barack Obama, a Honolulu native and candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois, and the confirmation of the nomination of John Kerry as the candidate for President and of John Edwards as the candidate for Vice President. They faced incumbents George W. Bush and Dick Cheney of the Republican Party in the 2004 presidential election.