Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic Party nomination for president Thursday night, less than three months before a highly anticipated 2024 presidential election.
What Happened: Harris made history at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) by becoming the second female to be the presidential nominee for a major party and the first woman of color to have the honor.
During her speech, Harris called for unity and a new direction forward: “Our nation with this election has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.”
Harris also addressed Republicans during her speech, encouraging them to put political party titles aside and vote for her over Donald Trump, who she blamed for the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self. To hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law, to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power,” Harris said.
Among the topics covered by Harris during her acceptance speech were national security, foreign relations and abortion rights.
The four-day event saw several keynote speakers help usher in Harris’ nomination, including President Joe Biden and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and other political leaders also rallied the capacity crowd at the United Center in Chicago.
Adam Kinzinger, former House Republican from Illinois, also made a speech in support of Harris.
The DNC also enjoyed strong viewership throughout. Monday’s primetime coverage drew 20 million networks, according to a report from Deadline. The total comes in ahead of the 18.1 million viewers posted for the first night of the Republican National Convention. The total also topped the 19.75 million viewers for the first night of the 2020 DNC.
On Tuesday, the DNC posted 20.8 million viewers. Wednesday’s third night had 20.2 million viewers. Viewership for these nights were down from the 2020 DNC, but came in ahead of 14.8 million and 18 million for the second and third night of this year’s RNC respectively.
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What’s Next: Attention now turns to the upcoming presidential debate between Trump and Harris, set for Sept. 10 hosted by Walt Disney Company DIS owned ABC News.
With 73 days until Election Day on Nov. 5, leaders at the DNC encouraged those in attendance to campaign for Harris and encourage others to vote.
The end of the DNC also comes on the heels of reports that Harris raised $500 million in one month, setting up a major haul of cash to use for election ads in the final push.
Some voters are pushing for Harris to better define her policies ahead of the election, as reported by Politico. This comes after Harris recently spoke to her plan to create an “opportunity economy,” with a focus on middle-class Americans and lowering costs.
Harris said her plans included tax cuts for Americans, taking on high food costs and lowering home costs with plans for three million new homes.
Concerns that Trump will go on the offensive against Harris after the DNC finish is among the worries for Democratic members of Congress.
“Two things are going to happen: One, the honeymoon’s inevitably going to end, and two, the Republicans are going to figure out how to attack,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said. “We have to be prepared for both of these eventualities.”
Harris’ performance in the presidential debate could have a large influence on election polls and perhaps have the final sway on undecided voters and swing state voters that could decide the election. The last presidential debate saw a poor performance from Biden dramatically impact the polls and Trump gain support among voters.
Most political experts will say the race will be a margin of error or toss-up indicating a potential small percentage win for either candidate. Many predicted Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 election based on polling. And Biden had a large lead among pollsters ahead of the 2020 election; he defeated Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College and had a 4-point margin in the popular vote.
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