CHICAGO (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris called on Americans to join her in “forging a new path forward” as she accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday, arguing that her personal history and background as a prosecutor make her uniquely suited to protect their interests and defeat Republican Donald Trump.
When Harris took the stage to thunderous applause at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, she sought to introduce herself to the American public and lay out her vision for leading the nation over the next four years.
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to put the bitterness, cynicism and divisive struggles of the past behind us,” Harris said. “A chance to forge a new path forward. Not as members of a party or faction, but as Americans.”
Harris’ speech in Chicago capped eight tumultuous weeks in American politics and demonstrated the stunning reversal of Democratic fortunes just 75 days before Election Day. Party leaders who had publicly despaired of President Joe Biden’s candidacy after his disastrous debate against Trump cheered both the historic nature of Harris’s candidacy and their hopes for this November.
The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris was the first black woman and person of South Asian descent to accept the presidential nomination of a major party. If elected, she would be the first female U.S. president.
“America, the path that has brought me here in recent weeks was undoubtedly unexpected. But unusual journeys are no stranger to me,” she said.
Harris said that after her parents divorced, she was raised primarily by her mother in a small apartment in San Francisco’s East Bay, but also by friends and caregivers who were “family out of love.” She also described an important part of her political origin story, when Wanda, her best friend from high school, confided in her that she was being abused by her stepfather and came to live with Harris’ family.
“That’s one of the reasons I became a prosecutor. To protect people like Wanda,” Harris said.
Describing her career as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator and now vice president, Harris said, “My entire career, I have had only one client: the people.” At the same time, she said Trump has always acted in the interest of “the only client he has ever had: himself.”
As she walked onto the stage, she saw a sea of female delegates and Democratic supporters dressed in white, the color of women’s suffrage – the movement that culminated in 1920 with the acquisition of the right to vote for American women.
A festive atmosphere prevailed throughout the evening at the United Center. A packed audience, including running mate Tim Walz, danced and sang to a mix of pop and classic rock. Two of Harris’ young great-nieces were brought onstage by actress Kerry Washington to show conventioneers how to properly pronounce their first names. At the girls’ direction, one side of the arena chanted “comma” and the other “la.”
Harris made a direct appeal to anti-Trump Republicans to put aside party affiliations and support them over Trump, who disputed his defeat to Biden in the 2020 election that inspired the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“I know there are people watching tonight with different political views, and I want you to know that I promise to be a president for all Americans,” Harris said. “I promise to be a president for all Americans and to uphold America’s sacred constitutional principles, the fundamental principles, from the rule of law and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power.”
The prosecutor in Harris’ case appeared during the speech when she repeatedly referred to Donald Trump, referring to “his express intention” to release those who attacked police officers at the Capitol, imprison political opponents and use the military against American citizens.
“Think of what he plans to do if we give him power again,” she added.
Despite speculation about a possible surprise appearance by music superstar Beyoncé at Thursday’s convention ahead of Harris’ speech, a source involved in planning the evening who was not authorized to speak publicly said she would not be in attendance.
Among others who spoke before Harris on Thursday were Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Arizona Democrat Gabby Giffords, who was nearly killed in a mass murder in 2011, and civil rights leader Al Sharpton.
Sharpton emphasized the historic nature of Harris’ nomination, noting that 52 years ago he was a youth leader in former Rep. Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 Democratic primary for the White House. Chisholm, who was black, died in 2005, but Sharpton drew applause when he declared, “I know she’s watching us tonight as a black woman stands up to accept the nomination to be president of the United States.”
Sharpton also introduced the now-rehabilitated members of the Central Park Five – the black teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of rape in New York City in 1989. Trump took out full-page newspaper ads at the time calling for the death penalty for the five – and even today he continues to evade calls for an apology.
Republicans are now competing to define Harris, accusing her of being a “communist” and a “dangerous liberal.” Trump has also targeted her race, while his running mate JD Vance has called her a “chameleon.”
At the convention, former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican critic of Trump, gave a keynote speech. He said, “Whatever political views we hold, they pale in comparison to these basic questions of principle. Of decency. Of loyalty to this nation. To my Republican colleagues, if you still pledge allegiance to those principles, then I suspect you’re in the right place.”
Former Obama administration Defense Secretary Leon Panetta portrayed Harris as the better national security guarantor, citing Ronald Reagan. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona sharply accused Trump of targeting the late Republican Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.
“John McCain was an American hero,” Gallego said. “Show some respect.”
Harris’ team highlighted her background in law enforcement, including her time as district attorney in San Francisco and attorney general in California. She was later elected to the U.S. Senate and sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
Her campaign failed this year before a single vote was cast in the primaries, but Biden made her his running mate, catapulting her onto the national stage.
Although Harris initially struggled as vice president, her reputation grew when she became the leading abortion rights advocate in the administration after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Democrats used her anger over that decision to limit their losses in the last midterm elections.
When Biden stumbled at the debate with Trump in June, Harris defended him until he decided to drop out of the race. With his support, she was able to quickly unite the Democratic Party behind her candidacy, refocusing a presidential campaign that Trump seemed poised to win.
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