Harris prosecutes the case for Democrats in historic acceptance speech

The vice president promised care and strength from the stage in Chicago

Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the Democratic nomination for president in Chicago. (Photo Tom LoBianco/24sight News.)

CHICAGO _ Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic Party nomination for president Thursday night, saying that her story matched that of millions of Americans, and that it was now up to they and others to fight for the country which gave them the opportunity to thrive.

“On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out  on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with. People who work hard, chase their dream and look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth. I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America,” Harris said, Thursday night, at the United Center in Chicago.

Harris became the first Black woman to accept a major party nomination, joining Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who accepted the nomination for vice president Wednesday night, at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Harris’s formal acceptance capped a raucous four-week span in the race for the White House, stretching from the day President Joe Biden dropped out of the race through the four-day stretch at the Democratic convention in Chicago, energizing the Democratic Party after months of worry and malaise, and sending the 2024 race for the White House into its final stretch.

Throughout the week, and well before, former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, repeatedly attacked Harris and the Biden Administration, accusing them of failing to stem a flow of undocumented immigrants into the country and presiding over lawlessness throughout the country.

Trump, the Republican nominee who is set to face off against Harris at their first debate September 10, announced that his first stop Friday after Harris’s nomination will be in Arizona, a critical battleground state, where he is expected to hammer Harris on the issue of immigration.

Harris and her team have long been preparing for the attacks, even setting up a defense in her acceptance speech.