Harris Promises A ‘New Way Forward’ In Historic DNC Address

On Thursday night, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, pledging a “new way forward” for Americans, while calling for unity and urging voters to reject Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Harris’ speech concluded a four-day event that showcased her background and sought to define her still-evolving policy agenda, as she made history as the first Black and Asian-American woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket.

Harris called November’s election an opportunity to “move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past,” as she closed her party’s convention in Chicago to a shower of balloons and cheering supporters.

Five weeks ago, Democrats anticipated their convention would center on President Joe Biden. However, after a poor debate performance and yielding to party pressure, he withdrew from the race and endorsed Harris.

Within days, party leaders, delegates and potential challengers quickly united behind Harris’s candidacy.

Polls show Harris now in a close race with Trump, who criticized Harris’ appearance as it unfolded.

In her nearly 45-minute address, the most pivotal speech of her career, Harris reintroduced herself to the nation, sharing personal stories about growing up in a “beautiful working-class neighborhood” as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants.

She highlighted how her background as a prosecutor, a detail she downplayed during her 2020 run,  uniquely qualifies her to defeat Trump and serve in the Oval Office, along with her record as Biden’s vice president.

Harris also spent several minutes of her speech discussing how her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, influenced her life and political career.

“She taught us to never complain about injustice, but (instead) to do something about it,” she recalled.

Harris’s younger sister, Maya, also spoke on Thursday night, calling their mother a “trailblazer,” who set “great expectations” for them.

“She raised us to believe that we could be or do anything. It’s a distinctly American story,” she said.

Harris appealed to aspirational families across America, promising to create an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.”

She vowed to “end America’s housing shortage” and support entrepreneurs but did not outline any specific policy changes from the current administration.

The DNC’s fourth night also featured speakers highlighting the impact of gun violence, an issue Harris has addressed both as California’s top prosecutor and during her vice presidency.

Gabby Giffords, a prominent gun safety advocate and former congresswoman who was shot in 2011, appeared alongside her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), who was a top contender to be Harris’s running mate.

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Georgia), an advocate for gun restrictions who was elected after her son was shot and killed, also spoke.

Other figures who energized the convention’s thousands of attendees in the preceding days included Biden, Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and some Republican defectors.

However, DNC organizers rejected protesters’ demands to include a Palestinian speaker, after days of protests in Chicago against the Gaza war and White House policy.

Harris did not directly address the protesters but touched on Gaza, stating she would always defend Israel’s right to security while calling for Palestinians to live with “dignity” and “freedom.”

Trump critized his rival’s speech on Truth Social, questioning her record from her four years as vice president.

“Why didn’t she do something about the things of which she complains?” Trump wrote.