CHICAGO — Amid a cacophony of cheering Democrats and a blanket of red, white and blue balloons, Vice President Kamala Harris made history.
The first woman to be elected US vice president has become the first black and South Asian woman to be formally recognized as a major party presidential candidate, dashing Democrats’ hopes of defeating former President Donald Trump and holding the White House for another four years.
After three days of briefings on her work as a prosecutor and her promise as a leader, Harris took the stage to deafening boos from the packed arena, who applauded her attempts to begin her speech before telling attendees they “got to do something.” .”
“We are moving forward with a new path forward, a future with a strong and growing middle class,” Harris said in his speech.
“Because we know that a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success, and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,” Fromm continued, calling it “personal” because “the middle class is where I come from.”
“That’s why we’re going to create what I call an economy of opportunity, where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed — whether you live in a village, a small town or a big city,” Harris said.
At this moment, thousands of Democrats in the arena rose to their feet offering a roaring reception.
Until Harris’ appearance, the electricity from the party was palpable at the United Center, where Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to three of six championships. All night, the arena turned into a rolling party with a sea of corpses, many of them dressed in white, jumping, dancing and singing to festive music.
Harris began his speech by recounting his biography, from the story of his family to the beginnings of his career. Speaking about her immigrant parents, she said she was “no stranger to improbable travel,” describing her upbringing in the San Francisco Bay Area and her start as a prosecutor.
“Every day I stood proudly in front of the judge in the courtroom and said five words: ‘Kamala Harris for the people.’ “My whole career, I’ve only had one client: people,” Harris said.
Harris then followed this story up with a traditional cheer line by accepting his party’s nomination.
“So, on behalf of the people; on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, sex, or the language your grandmother spoke; on behalf of my mother and everyone who embarks on their own unexpected journey; on behalf of the people I grew up with, Americans who work hard, follow their dreams, and look out for each other; On behalf of everyone whose story can only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your candidacy for President of the United States of America,” Harris said.
A month after President Joe Biden dropped out, Harris has turned the race around, reviving a stagnant, lackluster campaign weighed down by questions about his age and acuity. Now, the campaign is flush with cash, with Harris raising nearly $500 million after rising to the top of the ticket and later selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as his running mate.
In his speeches, Harris said he would restore reproductive freedoms, offer tax cuts to the middle class, end America’s housing shortage and protect Social Security and Medicare.
“They’ve lost their minds,” she said of Republicans and what she called their attack on women’s reproductive rights. “We trust women,” he said.
He repeatedly bashed Trump, calling him a threat to working Americans and saying he would only cut taxes for the rich. He also envisioned a roadmap for a Trump term other than the Heritage Foundation’s conservative plan, Project 2025. Trump rejected the document after the uproar surrounding it.
After a program that included The Chicks’ rendition of the national anthem and Pink’s performance, pop queen Beyoncé’s “Freedom” was also played before the vice president’s acceptance speech, reinforcing the theme Harris has leaned on to defend everything from voting rights to housing. favorable to reproductive rights.
“I believe that America cannot truly prosper unless Americans can fully make up their own minds about their own lives, especially in matters of the heart and home. But tonight, too many women in America can’t make those decisions, and let’s be clear about how we got here,” Harris said in Trump’s Roe v. He pointed to Supreme Court appointees who voted to overturn Wade’s case.
Harris also spoke about border security and strengthening national security, criticizing Trump’s opposition to a bipartisan border deal proposed in Congress this year, as well as his past comments about America’s allies. He reaffirmed his commitment to NATO and Ukraine in the war against Russia.
And Harris spoke at length about Israel and its military operation against Hamas in Gaza, an issue that has divided Democrats over the past year.
“Frankly, I will always defend Israel’s right to defend itself,” Harris said of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. “At the same time, what has happened in Gaza in the last 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives were lost, desperate, hungry people fled again and again for safety.”
Trump, who posted on social media during Harris’s speech, wrote on his Truth Socia platforml: “He’s done nothing but talk for three and a half years, and that’s what he’s doing tonight, complaining about everything but doing nothing.”
Democrats are reacting
The conclusion of the convention capped a tumultuous period for the Democratic Party, with weeks of infighting among its leaders before Biden announced he would step aside. Biden immediately endorsed Harris, and he quickly locked in support among his delegates, fearing that some might turn into a sloppy open convention.
But the prospect of Harris landing in the White House kept black leaders in the spotlight all day.
“There is no glass ceiling in this for us. Hillary broke it. We’re going to get through this,” said Daniele Monroe-Moreno, the first black woman to chair the Nevada Democratic Party.
He said Harris’ achievement sent a clear message in 2024.
“Every little girl — I don’t care what race, creed — there’s nothing you can’t do,” Monroe-Moreno said. “And that’s what it means. Women. We are here. We are the new force of this Democratic Party.”
When Harris begins her first presidential campaign in 2019, she becomes the third black woman to win the nomination of a major party, following Rep. Shirley Chisholm, D-N.Y., in 1972 and former Sen. Carol Moseley Brown, D-Ill. 2004.
Now, a little more than half a century after Chisholm defied stereotypes and won several delegates, her party has nominated a black woman for the most powerful post in the world.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader and MSNBC host, was the Chisholm campaign’s youth outreach director. On Thursday, he framed Harris’ candidacy in the context of Chisholm and the shift in America’s attitudes toward race and gender.
“It’s been a long time coming to see this come to fruition,” Sharpton said. “It represents growth not only for Black people in the country and in the Democratic Party, but for one woman — a victory over misogyny, institutional misogyny and racism.”
Many black women felt a sense of pride and patriotism at Thursday’s meeting of the convention.
Cathleen Trigg, Founder and CEO iWomanTVHe said he came to Chicago from New York to do what he could to help Harris win.
“I can’t really describe the feeling of being in this place where we can potentially lead our first woman, our first Black woman, our first — many firsts — to lead our country, the greatest country in the world,” Trigg, 56, said. “This is a miracle. This is a blessing. This is an opportunity for much-needed change in our country.”
While Democratic whip in the House of Representatives, the highest-ranking Black lawmaker, D.S.C. Representative James Clyburn cited the preamble to the Constitution when explaining the significance of Harris’ nomination.
“It means we’ve taken another step toward a more perfect union,” Clyburn said. “It means that a significant and I hope a large part of this country wants to keep moving forward, not interested in going back, not interested in reliving the past, but wanting to chart a new path forward for our children and grandchildren.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said: “From President Biden, there you have it [message of] ‘Oh my god. Democracy is in danger! We can’t let this happen! Kamala Harris brought the joy back to it.”
Speaking from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, before the convention began, Warner said, “every politician comes through there and people are almost giddy!”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in an interview: “Americans love an upbeat, joyful personality, and that’s what he delivers.”
Ann-Marie Herod, who lives in Chicago and is originally from Mississippi, said it was difficult to put into words the significance of the night.
“I was a young girl when Obama ran. Now I can actually be active in the process: doing research, doing different things,” said Herod, who watched Harris’ reception at Soldier Field. “I have parents, I have friends, they could never have imagined that a black woman could be in the White House. It’s amazing.”