Kamala Harris pledges ‘new way forward’ in historic convention speech

Vice-President Kamala Harris pledged a “new way forward” for all Americans as she formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday night, delivering a message of unity and urging voters to reject Donald Trump.

November’s election is a chance to “move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past”, she said, bringing her party’s convention in Chicago to a close as balloons rained down and supporters cheered.

Ms Harris’s speech capped off a four-day spectacle designed to highlight her backstory and shape the contours of what remains a vague policy agenda.

She made history as the first black and Asian-American woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket.

The 59-year-old officially became the Democratic nominee after a fast-moving few weeks that began with President Joe Biden stepping aside in the White House race.

Polls suggest she is now in a tight race with Trump, who offered criticism of Ms Harris’s appearance as it unfolded.

Ms Harris used her nearly-45-minute address, the most important speech of her political career, to reintroduce herself to the nation.

She shared personal anecdotes about growing up in a “beautiful working-class neighbourhood” as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants.

And she argued that her background as a prosecutor – a detail she avoided emphasising during her 2020 run – made her uniquely qualified to defeat Trump and serve in the Oval Office, as did her record as vice-president under Mr Biden.

Ms Harris also dedicated several minutes of her speech to how her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, shaped her life and political career.

“She taught us to never complain about injustice, but (instead) to do something about it,” Ms Harris recalled. Her sister Maya, 57, also spoke on thee night, saying their mother had been a “trailblazer”, having set “great expectations of us”.

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

Ms Harris made an pitch to aspirational families across America, saying she would create an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed”.

She said she would “end America’s housing shortage” and help entrepreneurs. However, did not describe any specific changes in policy from the administration in which she currently serves.

Trump reacted to his rival’s speech on his social media platform Truth Social, and called into Fox News after the event concluded to criticise her remarks.

He questioned her record during four years in the White House as vice-president.

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

Five weeks ago, Democrats thought their party extravaganza would be centred on President Joe Biden, as he ran for another term despite widespread anxiety about his age and whether he could defeat Trump.

But a plot twist came in late July, when Mr Biden, bowing to party pressure after a poor debate performance, announced he would step aside and throw his support behind Ms Harris.

Within days, party leaders, delegates and potential challengers coalesced behind Ms Harris’s candidacy. And in Chicago, the vice-president’s speech was well received by the delegates who had given her their official backing for the top job.

“I think she set the tone for the enthusiasm Democrats are going to have from now until November,” Georgia delegate Edward Bohannan told the BBC. “There wasn’t much excitement about the election before. But now people are getting engaged.”

Among the other figures who energised the convention’s thousands of attendees over the previous days were Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and even Republican defectors.

It was Mr Biden, 81, who delivered the keynote speech on the first night, in a symbolic passing of the torch. While on holiday in California, he also called Ms Harris to wish her luck with her own speech.

The DNC’s fourth night also featured speakers emphasised the toll of gun violence, an issue Ms Harris focused on as California’s top prosecutor and one she has pursued during her vice-presidency. Mr Biden last year created an office dedicated to combating gun violence and named Ms Harris to lead it.

Gabby Giffords, a leading gun safety advocate and former US congresswoman who was shot in the head 2011 in Arizona, appeared alongside her husband, Senator Mark Kelly, who was a leading contender to be Ms Harris’s running mate. Georgia Congresswoman Lucy MacBath, who has pushed for gun restrictions and was elected after her son was shot and killed, also delivered remarks.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democratic rising star who had also been floated as a potential vice-presidential pick for Ms Harris, described the Democratic candidate as “tough, tested, and a total badass”.

Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican Congressman who now backs the Democrats, used his moment in the spotlight to attack Trump.

“It’s in standing up for our constitution and our democracy that that is the soul of being a conservative,” said Mr Kinzinger. “It used to be the soul of being a Republican, but Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party.”

“Democrats are just as patriotic as we are,” he added as the crowd broke out in chants of “USA”.

But DNC organisers rejected protesters’ demands to allow a Palestinian to speak, following days of protests in Chicago against the war in Gaza and White House policy.

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

A packed arena featured delegates and supporters brandishing American flags and placards bearing Ms Harris’s name. Many donned white clothing in honour of the women’s suffrage movement.

And there was no shortage of star power on Thursday – following a packed programme of celebrity appearances on the previous nights, which was also witnessed at last month’s Republican convention.

Steph Curry – a basketball star who is part of Ms Harris’s hometown NBA team the Golden State Warriors, and who recently led Team USA to Olympic gold – delivered a video message. There were performances from Pink and The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks).

But those hoping for a showing from Beyoncé were left disappointed, after rumours throughout the evening of a “surprise guest” led to some hope that the star would perform her hit Freedom, which Ms Harris has used as a campaign song.

By the time 100,000 red, white and blue balloons dropped from the ceiling, hope of a rockstar ending quickly deflated.

“After all that, no Beyoncé,” one man joked as he left, popping balloons with his foot.

Additional reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr at the convention.