Hillary Clinton, the first woman nominated for president by a major American political party, handed over the baton to Kamala Harris on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, endorsing the vice president and her goal of becoming the country’s first female head of state.
Eight years after officially receiving the party’s endorsement, Clinton took the stage Monday night to congratulate Harris and pass the baton to her in the race to shatter the “highest, hardest glass ceiling.”
“Something is happening in America. We can feel it. Something that we have hoped for and dreamed of for a long time,” Clinton told a packed house at Chicago’s United Center.
“The future is here.”
The former secretary of state, senator and first lady was the Democratic nominee in 2016 after nearly a decade of White House aspirations that began with her first presidential bid in 2008. Despite leading in the polls throughout the campaign, Clinton lost the general election to Donald Trump, whom Harris now faces in what is expected to be another tight race in November.
On Monday, Clinton urged voters to “just look at the candidates.”
“Kamala cares about children, families and America. Donald only cares about himself. On her first day in court, Kamala uttered five words that still guide her: ‘Kamala Harris, for the people,’” the former secretary of state said, referring to Harris’s past life as California’s attorney general. “That’s something Donald Trump will never understand.”
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While Clinton has touted her nomination as a historic moment, the second woman to win major party support for a run for the White House has not. In fact, Harris has downplayed her gender and avoided emphasizing the fact that she could become the country’s first female president. Instead, she has adopted a strategy that more closely resembles Barack Obama’s in 2008.
While Hillary Clinton, dressed in her signature suit and accompanied by the slogan “I’m With Her,” repeatedly stressed that her candidacy was an opportunity to break the political glass ceiling, Obama focused on the message of a vision for the future, under the slogan “Change We Can Believe In.” Rather than talk about becoming the first black president, he delivered a message that reassured voters that he would be a president for all Americans.
The theme of the first night of the DNC – “For the People” – showed that Obama’s winning message was still front and center.
In a press release issued ahead of the convention, Harris’ campaign said that on Monday it would focus on “the accomplishments and results that President Biden has delivered for the people, with Vice President Harris at his side,” as well as Harris’ “commitment to fighting on behalf of everyday Americans.”
“At its core, the Harris-Walz ticket is a ticket for the people,” the campaign said.
William Howell, Sydney Stein professor of American politics at the University of Chicago, said Newsweek that Clinton would take a moment to acknowledge the historical significance of Harris’ name at the top of her ticket, but that she would follow the lead of the Harris campaign and not dwell on it or overdo it.
“Harris’ identity is part of the reason for the excitement that’s building around her, and Clinton will surely want to capitalize on that,” Howell said.
Democratic strategists have cautioned Harris against focusing too much on her personal identity and agree with her decision to follow Obama’s model. David Axelrod, the former president’s longtime confidant and adviser, said: THE Washington Post On Monday, “people can see; they don’t need a road map to figure this out.”
“There are people who might be available to you, but for whom it’s not a motivation, or who might feel excluded if you make that focus,” Axelrod said.
Donna Brazile, a former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and close friend of Harris, said: Policy Harris will need to attract voters “who see themselves living on the edge of hope” — voters that Trump and Obama successfully appealed to by emphasizing values and conveying the idea “that you care about them, that you see them.”
“There’s no other way to win in America,” Brazile said.
