Vice President Kamala Harris vowed a “new way forward” for all Americans as she officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday night.
In her speech, she called for unity and urged voters to reject Donald Trump, emphasizing that the upcoming November election is an opportunity to “move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past.”
Her address marked the conclusion of her party’s convention in Chicago, where balloons fell and supporters cheered. Harris’s speech was the climax of a four-day event designed to showcase her personal story and outline her still-evolving policy agenda.
Making history as the first Black and Asian-American woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket, the 59-year-old formally became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race just weeks ago.
Current polls indicate a close contest with Trump, who criticized Harris during her appearance.
In her nearly 45-minute speech, the most significant of her political career, Harris reintroduced herself to the nation, sharing personal stories about growing up in a “beautiful working-class neighborhood” as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants.
She also highlighted her background as a prosecutor, which she believes uniquely qualifies her to defeat Trump and serve in the Oval Office, along with her experience as vice president under Biden.
Additionally, Harris dedicated part of her speech to discussing how her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, profoundly influenced her life and political career.
“She taught us to never complain about injustice, but (instead) to do something about it,” Ms Harris recalled. Her sister Maya, 57, also spoke on thee night, saying their mother had been a “trailblazer”, having set “great expectations of us”.
“She raised us to believe that we could be or do anything,” she said, to loud applause. “It’s a distinctly American story.”
Ms. Harris made an appeal to aspirational families across America, promising to create an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.”
She pledged to “end America’s housing shortage” and support entrepreneurs, though she did not outline any specific policy changes from the current administration in which she serves as vice president.
In response to her speech, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, and later called into Fox News to criticize her remarks.
He questioned her record during her four years in the White House as vice president.
“Why didn’t she do something about the things of which she complains?” the Republican wrote.
Five weeks ago, Democrats thought their party extravaganza would be centred on President Joe Biden, as he ran for another term despite widespread anxiety about his age and whether he could defeat Trump.
But a plot twist came in late July, when Mr Biden, bowing to party pressure after a poor debate performance, announced he would step aside and throw his support behind Ms Harris.
Within days, party leaders, delegates and potential challengers coalesced behind Ms Harris’s candidacy. And in Chicago, the vice-president’s speech was well received by the delegates who had given her their official backing for the top job.
“I think she set the tone for the enthusiasm Democrats are going to have from now until November,” Georgia delegate Edward Bohannan told the BBC. “There wasn’t much excitement about the election before. But now people are getting engaged.”
Among the other figures who energised the convention’s thousands of attendees over the previous days were Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and even Republican defectors.
It was Mr Biden, 81, who delivered the keynote speech on the first night, in a symbolic passing of the torch. While on holiday in California, he also called Ms Harris to wish her luck with her own speech.
The DNC’s fourth night also featured speakers emphasised the toll of gun violence, an issue Ms Harris focused on as California’s top prosecutor and one she has pursued during her vice-presidency. Mr Biden last year created an office dedicated to combating gun violence and named Ms Harris to lead it.
Gabby Giffords, a leading gun safety advocate and former US congresswoman who was shot in the head 2011 in Arizona, appeared alongside her husband, Senator Mark Kelly, who was a leading contender to be Ms Harris’s running mate. Georgia Congresswoman Lucy MacBath, who has pushed for gun restrictions and was elected after her son was shot and killed, also delivered remarks.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democratic rising star who had also been floated as a potential vice-presidential pick for Ms Harris, described the Democratic candidate as “tough, tested, and a total badass”.
Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican Congressman who now backs the Democrats, used his moment in the spotlight to attack Trump.
“It’s in standing up for our constitution and our democracy that that is the soul of being a conservative,” said Mr Kinzinger. “It used to be the soul of being a Republican, but Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party.”
“Democrats are just as patriotic as we are,” he added as the crowd broke out in chants of “USA”.
DNC organizers refused protesters’ requests to have a Palestinian speaker, despite ongoing demonstrations in Chicago against the Gaza war and the White House’s policies.
Vice President Harris did not directly respond to the protesters but did mention Gaza in her remarks. She affirmed her commitment to defending Israel’s right to security while also advocating for Palestinians to live with “dignity” and “freedom.”
The event took place in a packed arena filled with delegates and supporters waving American flags and holding signs bearing Harris’s name. Many attendees wore white clothing in tribute to the women’s suffrage movement.
Thursday’s event was not short on star power, following a series of celebrity appearances earlier in the week, similar to the Republican convention last month. Basketball star Steph Curry, from Harris’s hometown NBA team, the Golden State Warriors, and recent Olympic gold medalist with Team USA, delivered a video message. There were also performances by Pink and The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks).
However, those hoping for a performance by Beyoncé were disappointed. Despite rumors of a “surprise guest” throughout the evening, which fueled speculation that the singer might perform her hit “Freedom,” which Harris has used as a campaign song, the evening ended without her appearance. When 100,000 red, white, and blue balloons dropped from the ceiling, any lingering hopes for a rockstar finale were quickly dashed.
“After all that, no Beyoncé,” one man joked as he left, popping balloons with his foot.
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