Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Nomination
Vice President Kamala Harris called on Americans to join her to "chart a new way forward" as she accepted the Democratic nomination on Thursday, August 22, arguing her personal story and background as a prosecutor made her uniquely qualified to protect the nations' interests and beat Republican Donald Trump.
Taking the stage to massive applause at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris sought to introduce herself to the American public and outline her vision for leading the nation for the next four years.
Harris said that with this election, America has "a chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."
Harris' address in Chicago comes at the end of a dramatic eight weeks in American politics and represents a stunning change in Democratic fortunes just 75 days before Election Day.
Party leaders who had publicly despaired over President Joe Biden's chances for victory after his disastrous debate against Trump, were jubilant both at the historic nature of Harris' campaign and their much-improved hopes for this November.
The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris became the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to accept a major party's presidential nomination. If elected, she would become the first female US president.
In her speech, Harris talked about being raised primarily by her mother after her parents divorced and also highlighted her middle-class background. She outlined her career as a prosecutor, state attorney general, senator and now vice president, saying, "My entire career I've only had one client: the people."
Harris' promises to the American people included protecting abortion access, expanding voting rights, lowering housing costs and cutting taxes for the middle class.
Her speech — and the Democratic convention as a whole — was intended to appeal to a broad range of Americans, including centrists and Republicans who are dissatisfied with Trump.
