A presidential campaign in the United States always has a soundtrack. As soon as Joe Biden withdrew, Kamala Harris's choice was "Freedom," by Beyoncé. This high-energy track is well suited to her political position. The vice president wants to reconcile Democrats with the notion of freedom, long confiscated by the conservative camp.

Harris is working to broaden her electoral potential. Every party claims to be a "big tent," in which many Americans, not necessarily affiliated, could find they belong. But only the Democratic Party seems to have this capacity. Conversely, the Grand Old Party (GOP), absorbed into the MAGA ("Make America Great Again") movement and lined up behind a candidate with a felony conviction, presents an apocalyptic vision of the country. It relies on inflation and migratory pressure as its only campaign arguments.

For the opening night of the Democratic convention in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, August 19, Hillary Clinton spoke about the cracks in the glass ceiling – women's accession to the presidency – that she chipped away at during her own candidacy, in 2016. What does she see through those cracks? "I see freedom. I see the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our loves, our families. The freedom to work with dignity and prosper. To worship as we choose or not. To speak our minds freely and honestly. I see freedom from fear and intimidation, from violence and injustice, from chaos and corruption." Freedom: quite an agenda.

For Democrats, this cardinal value honors first and foremost individual rights, without discrimination based on ethnic background, sex or religion. Following in the tradition of the 1960s civil rights movement, it is directly associated with the notion of equality. It's a way of reconnecting with Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party's tutelary figure, who opposed slavery. "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves," he wrote back in 1859.

Democrats have a multifaceted approach to freedom. They want to encourage citizen participation in elections, while the right has sought to limit early voting options in many states. It's also about protecting vulnerable groups – notably the LGBTQ+ community. And there's a focus on defending the right to clean air and water as well as entering public places, especially schools, without fear in the face of the proliferation of weapons of war, which Republicans refuse to limit or ban.

And then there's abortion, a powerful rallying point. In the two years since the Supreme Court's dramatic decision to send the issue back to the states, reproductive rights have been at the heart of Democratic rhetoric. "These are the guys [Republicans] that believe government should be free to invade your exam room with your doctor," said Harris's running mate Tim Walz on August 9, before declaring, to the audience's delight, "Mind your own damn business!"

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