In a office on Wilshire Boulevard, several dozen ex-staffers of former President Barak Obama crowded together on folding chairs with plastic cups full of libations and paper plates stacked with pretzels on Thursday evening. The agenda: Witness history as Kamala Harris took the the stage at the Democratic National Convention and unveiled her vision for the nation.
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Buoyed with enthusiasm by Harris’s rise to the top of the ticket, the group set up the office this week to provide a base for phone banking and campaign volunteers in the run-up to election.
“I think what’s really drawing people in is this energy that we’re seeing and feeling all over the country, to have elected representatives that really represent the interests and needs of everyday people,” said Brandyn Keating, a former Obama staffer who helped organize the new Harris campaign base.
Harris accepted her party’s nomination for the presidency at the conclusion of the four-day Democratic National Convention in Chicago, delivering an optimistic address centered on themes of hope and unity and vowing to be a president for all Americans regardless of their political views.
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” she said. “A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.”
Harris sought to establish herself as the perfect foil to the GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump, promising to hold sacred the timeless American principles “from the rule of law, to free and fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power.”
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On Wilshire Boulevard, her words were met by whoops and cheers of “Ka-ma-la!” and “yes we can!”
“This is the biggest speech of her life and she nailed it,” said Kim Gordan, who attended the watch party with her husband and five-year-old son. “The vice president’s life story resonates with so many people and its wonderful that she was able to provide that background on where she comes from and how she stands up for the people.”
Harris began her speech by talking about her humble roots being raised by an immigrant mother.
“My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakeable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer,” said Harris. Growing up in the East Bay, Harris said her mother kept a straight budget and taught her children to make the most of every opportunity available to them.
Harris promised to build an “opportunity economy” saying that building out the middle class will be a “defining goal of her presidency.” This cause is personal — “the middle class is where I come from,” she said.
At the L.A. watch party, campaign volunteer Johanna Veloso, was deeply moved by Harris’s talk of family. Veloso’s mother immigrated to America from the Philippines and created a better life for her family.
“When Kamala talks about her strong mom, I think about mine,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to kind of having this person who I can identify with potentially be the next president. That’s just so exciting.”
Harris also talked about how her childhood best friend Wanda was a victim of sexual assault, noting that this shaped her career as a prosecutor and defender of reproductive rights.
“That is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor,” she said. “To protect people like Wanda. Because I believe everyone has a right: To safety. To dignity. And to justice.”
She said that if elected she would seek to sign a bill to restore reproductive rights nationwide.
She closed her speech by reiterating her desire to heal the nation’s division, saying “in unity, there is strength.” Her address was met by a standing ovation at the watch party where attendees traded triumphant hugs and wiped prideful tears.
Not all Californians felt the same way.
“It’s official. National Democrats have bafflingly looked at California, the state with high unemployment, an exorbitant cost of living, a homeless crisis, a porous border and rampant crime, and said yes please, let’s do that to the whole country,” said California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson. “For two decades, California radical Kamala Harris and her extreme, far-left agenda have devastated those she was elected to serve, and her record of failures should be an automatic disqualifier for our nation’s highest office.”
Patterson added: “Before November 5, voters will look carefully not only at Harris, but at her home state for some insight on what her leadership could lead to, and realize that she belongs nowhere near the Oval Office.”
Harris’s address came following four days of speeches from the biggest names in Democratic Party politics including Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Joe and Jill Biden.
Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, meanwhile, ran four days of counter-programming at rallies in battleground states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
On Thursday morning, Trump called into “Fox and Friends” to tease a potential endorsement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and criticize Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, who delivered his nomination acceptance speech on Wednesday evening. Vance also took swings at Walz while speaking at a campaign rally in Georgia on Thursday.
Trump traveled to Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border to campaign Thursday on immigration, his signature issue since launching his first successful presidential bid nine years ago. Trump alleged that Harris did little to ease immigration issues while vice president.
On the border, Trump ticked through a list of crimes blamed on people who were living in the country illegally.
Trump and his Republican allies also criticized Harris and other Democrats for spending more time talking about him this week at the convention than talking about such issues as the border and immigration.
On Thursday, Harris spoke about her commitment to secure the border and reform the “broken immigration system.”
She accused Trump of ordering his allies in Congress to kill the border bill crafted under the Biden-Harris administration because he thought it would hurt his election odds.
“I refuse to play politics with our security,” she said. “Here is my pledge to you: As president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed.”
Harris also vowed to continue efforts to establish a hostage return and ceasefire deal in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. She called the scale of suffering in Gaza “heartbreaking” and also said she would always support Israel’s right to defend itself.
Throughout the course of the DNC, pro-Palestine protesters rallied on the streets of Chicago calling on Democrats to take immediate action to end the war.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.