Kamala Harris: A New Way Forward for America

AFP/APP

Chicago: Kamala Harris will pledge to be “president for all Americans” Thursday as she accepts the Democratic Party nomination in Chicago in the biggest speech of her life.

The 59-year-old vice president was to focus on her personal story and vow a “new way forward” as she reaches out to voters after one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in US political history.

Excitement was at fever pitch as the Democratic National Convention prepared to anoint Harris its candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in November.

“I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans,” Harris was to say, according to excerpts released by her campaign.

The first Black woman nominee for a major party, Harris has electrified supporters in the wake of 81-year-old President Joe Biden’s shock decision to drop out a month ago. She has quickly united the party, wiped out Trump’s lead in the polls, and raised staggering amounts of funds.

Delegates clapped and cheered hours before her speech, and special musical guests lined up to perform, including pop star Pink and country band The Chicks.

Speculation swirled about other special guests adding stardust — including possibly mega-star Beyoncé, who has provided Harris with her campaign anthem, “Freedom.” TMZ quoted multiple sources as saying Beyoncé would perform.

“You know what I’m really excited for?” said Amanda Taylor, a 47-year-old delegate from Missouri. “Of course, Kamala, but I hear maybe Beyoncé is going to come!”

Democrats are trying to temper their hopes, knowing that Harris faces a tough sprint to a nail-biting election on November 5, which as in 2020 may be decided by a handful of votes in key states.

From Barack and Michelle Obama to Bill Clinton, senior figures have warned all week that Harris has a brutal fight on her hands to beat Trump.

The 78-year-old believed he was cruising to a stunning return to power against Biden but has been unsettled by the sudden Democratic switch to a much younger opponent — and one looking to make history as the first female president.

The Republican is increasingly resorting to personal insults and race-baiting.

Speaking near the Mexican border barrier built during his presidency in the battleground state of Arizona, Trump focused Thursday on immigration, which Republicans believe is a major weakness for Harris.

Recounting stories of people he said were killed by migrants who had come across the border illegally, he said: “As Kamala gives her convention speech tonight, she will not mention the victims. She won’t even mention their names.”

The sheer speed of Harris’s rise, from the first female, Black and South Asian vice president to the Democratic standard-bearer, also means Harris remains somewhat unknown to US voters.

Harris will seek to remedy that in her speech. She will talk about how she was raised by a working mother and knows the challenges facing families hit by inflation, a campaign official told reporters.

She will recount her career as a prosecutor, highlighting her fight for victims of sexual abuse and gun crime — and likely highlighting the fact that in Trump she now faces the first convicted felon ever to seek the White House.

Harris has been short on policy announcements since taking over as the Democratic standard-bearer, particularly when it comes to the economy, a key issue in the election.

“Voters already have the Kamala vibes. Now they need the Kamala agenda,” said Larry Sabato, a professor at the University of Virginia.

For now, Democrats appear happy to ride a tidal wave of joyful vibes, putting behind them the despair over Biden’s catastrophic debate performance against Trump and the disputes over whether he should stay in the race.

The Obamas raised the roof in Chicago on Tuesday, with the ex-first lady declaring that under Harris “hope is making a comeback.”

On Wednesday, Clinton and television talk show host Oprah Winfrey were the warm-up acts for Harris’s running mate Tim Walz. Biden’s farewell address on Monday already seems like a distant memory.

But from Friday, Harris’s eyes will turn to the sprint for the finish line. She and Trump are due to hold their first debate on September 10.

Harris is also facing pressure to hold a press conference or interview, having avoided one since rising to the top of the ticket.