Chicago: Vice-President Kamala Harris pledged a "new way forward" for all Americans as she formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president, 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.
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 Harris' appearance as it unfolded.
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 Biden.
Harris also dedicated several minutes of her speech to how her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, shaped her life and political career.
Record’ $540 mn raised in a month
Kamala Harris’ prez campaign has raised a staggering $540 million in the month since she emerged as the Democratic nominee, including a $82 million surge during the party convention last week, her campaign announced.
One-third of the donations during convention week came from first-time contributors, the campaign said, with teachers and nurses among the most common occupations for donors. Two-thirds of the first-time donors were women, with the best grassroot-fundraising hour coming immediately following her acceptance speech. The Convention was a galvanizing moment for the Harris-Walz coalition throughout the country, energizing and mobilizing volunteer and grassroots donors alike,” Campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote in a memo, claiming the $540 million raised in a month is “a record for any campaign in history.”
