Vice President Kamala Harris is telling voters they have a chance to chart a "new way forward" as Americans this November, as she looks to introduce herself to voters and prosecute her case against Republican Donald Trump on Thursday night, August 22 as she accepts her party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention.
Harris walked onstage to thunderous applause and a long-standing ovation as convention-goers chanted her name. Harris' address in Chicago caps a whirlwind eight weeks in American politics and manifests the stunning reversal of Democratic fortunes just 75 days until Election Day. Party leaders, who had publicly despaired over President Joe Biden's candidacy after his disastrous debate against Trump, were jubilant both at the historic nature of Harris' candidacy and their buoyed hopes for this November.
"America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected. But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys," she said. "With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” Harris is saying in what is expected to be a 40-minute speech. "A chance to chart a New Way Forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."
A festive mood: 'Comma ... la'
Harris is the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to accept a major party's presidential nomination, and if elected, she would be the first female US president. As she took the stage, she looked out across a sea of female delegates and Democratic supporters wearing white – the color of women’s suffrage – the movement that culminated with American women securing the right to vote in 1920.
A festive mood filled the United Center all evening, with a packed audience including running mate Tim Walz dancing and singing along to a mix of pop and classic rock. Two of Harris' young grandnieces were brought onstage by actress Kerry Washington to remind the convention how to correctly pronounce her first name. At the girls' direction, one side of the arena shouted "comma" and the other "la."
Despite speculation about a potential surprise appearance by the music superstar Beyoncé at Thursday’s convention ahead of Harris' speech, a source involved in the evening’s planning who was not authorized to discuss it publicly said she would not be in attendance.
Just a month after Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her to replace him atop the Democratic ticket, Harris was looking to make the most of her chance to define herself to voters on her own terms before an audience of millions.