CHICAGO: Vice President Kamala Harris sought to redefine herself for America and sharply contrast Republican Donald Trump on Thursday as she accepted the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
“On behalf of all whose history could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination for president of the United States,” Harris told roaring Democrats at their national convention.
Harris emerged as the Democratic nominee just over a month ago when allies of President Joe Biden, 81, forced him out of the race. If she succeeds, she will make history as the first woman to be elected president of the United States.
The four-day Democratic National Convention brought together some of the biggest names in politics and music.
On the final and highly anticipated night of the conference, Chicago’s United Center was buzzing with energy – and people. The arena’s 23,500 seats were filled, and arena staff briefly prevented more people from entering the facility, saying the city’s fire chief said the building was safe.
Harris emerged as the Democratic nominee just over a month ago when allies of President Joe Biden, 81, forced him out of the race. If she succeeds, she will make history as the first woman to be elected president of the United States.
Biden called Harris to wish her luck before her speech, a White House spokesman said.
Referring to the divisive rhetoric Trump used on the campaign trail, Harris will promise to “be a president for all Americans.”
Almost four years as vice president
A former California attorney general, Harris’ presidential ambitions have been apparent for years but have been undermined by her own shaky 2020 campaign and setbacks during her nearly four years as vice president.
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to overcome the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past. An opportunity to chart a new path forward. Not as members of any party or faction, but as Americans,” she said.
Country band The Chicks sang the national anthem and Pink performed at Chicago’s United Center, an arena that seats more than 20,000 people
The Central Park Five, black men who were acquitted after being wrongly convicted of rape as teenagers and imprisoned for years, drew applause. Members criticized Trump, who as a New York real estate developer denounced the teenagers at the time. He refused to recant his false claims.
The Democratic crowd erupted for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who became emotional and wiped away tears. Warren, who is making her own bid for the White House in 2020, gave a glowing endorsement of Harris as she dismissed Trump as a “criminal.”
Victims of gun violence also came forward, including former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.
Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Trump, was one of several Republicans who spoke at the convention against Trump.
“Democracy knows no party,” Kinzinger said, telling fellow Republicans that “Democrats are as patriotic as we are. They love this country as much as we do.”
Over the past three days, Democrats have sought to recast themselves as the voice of American values from small towns to overseas.
Harris’ strong speeches played against voter excitement ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Harris has raised a record $500 million in a month and has narrowed the gap or taken a lead over Trump in several polls in battleground states that will decide the election.
Unresolved issues of Gaza
Outside the convention center, thousands of Palestinian supporters gathered to protest US support for Israel as it wages war in Gaza. The issue is one of the most divisive among Democrats and received little attention at the convention, which could hurt them at the polls.
Representatives of the Non-Aligned National Movement, which mobilized nearly 750,000 voters to block support for Biden during the presidential primaries, entered the venue linking arms and taking their seats. Members spent Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside the convention to protest the DNC’s rejection of their request for a Palestinian speaker.
Harris has yet to articulate much of her vision for the country, and Republicans say Democrats have spent more time attacking Trump than outlining how they would govern.
Aides say she will discuss her plans to cut taxes for most Americans, boost housing supply and ban what she calls “price gouging” from grocery stores. Her campaign also proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.
The speech will include foreign policy elements along with stories of women affected by abortion bans and other restrictions on reproductive rights, aides and advisers said.
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