Kamala Harris is now the first woman of color to become a major party’s presidential nominee. That history was made Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Speaking to an energetic crowd, Harris formally accepted her party’s nomination and made her case for why she should be the next president of the United States. Lisa Desjardins reports.
Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
Amna Nawaz:
Kamala Harris is now the first woman of color as a Black woman of South Asian descent to become a major party's presidential nominee.
Geoff Bennett:
That history was made last night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Speaking to an energetic crowd, Harris formally accepted her party's nomination and made her case for why she should be the next president of the United States.
Lisa Desjardins has our report.
Announcer:
Please welcome the Democratic nominee for president, vice President of the United States of America Kamala Harris.
(Cheering)
(Applause)
Lisa Desjardins:
The opening Applause lasted more than three minutes as Vice President Kamala Harris walked on stage and made history.
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.
(Cheering)
Lisa Desjardins:
It was the grand finale of a convention that defied expectations after a seismic swap in the campaign just last month.
Kamala Harris:
Our nation with this election has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward.
Lisa Desjardins:
Harris urged Americans to embark on a new political path, stressing her upbringing in a middle-class immigrant family.
Kamala Harris:
My mother was a brilliant, 5-foot-tall brown woman with an accent.
Lisa Desjardins:
Harris' mother, who died in 2009, moved from India as a 19-year-old.
Kamala Harris:
She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it.
Lisa Desjardins:
That upbringing, Harris said, drew her to public service.
Kamala Harris:
My entire career, I have only had one client, the people.
Lisa Desjardins:
To the personal history, she added some policy, the economy.
Kamala Harris:
We will pass a middle-class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans.
(Cheering)
(Applause)
Lisa Desjardins:
Border security.
Kamala Harris:
As president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law.
(Cheering)
(Applause)
Lisa Desjardins:
Foreign policy.
Kamala Harris:
I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies.
(Cheering)
(Applause)
Lisa Desjardins:
Harris rebuked her opponent and his party as unserious.
Kamala Harris:
Simply put, they are out of their minds.
Lisa Desjardins:
And she appealed to voters outside her party.
Kamala Harris:
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.
Lisa Desjardins:
A hundred thousand balloons celebrated her moment and the first woman of color to be a major party nominee for president.
Marcia Fudge, Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary: First off, it gives me goose bumps.
Lisa Desjardins:
Former Secretary of Housing Marcia Fudge, now the co-chair of the Harris campaign, spoke to "News Hour."
Marcia Fudge:
I mean, it brings me to tears. It really does, to think about this little Black girl that grew up in inner-city Cleveland. Never thought in my life I would see this day.
Maya Harris, Sister of Kamala Harris: Hello, Chicago.
Lisa Desjardins:
Earlier, Harris' family aimed to reinforce her message, including her sister, Maya Harris.
Maya Harris:
Where others want to drag us back to the past, my sister says, hold up now. We are not going back.
Woman:
And what are you here to do?
Girl:
To teach you how to say our auntie's name.
Lisa Desjardins:
And, unforgettably, Harris' great-nieces.
Girl:
First, you say comma like a comma in a sentence.
Girl:
Then you say la, like la-la-la-la.
Woman:
Put it together and it's one, two, three, Kamala.
Girls:
Kamala.
Lisa Desjardins:
The night also featured sobering moments.
Kimberly Mata-Rubio, President, Lives Robbed:
It's 10:30 a.m. at Robb Elementary in Uvalde.
Lisa Desjardins:
The mother of Lexi Rubio described the day her daughter was killed in the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Kimberly Mata-Rubio:
She wears a St. Mary's sweatshirt and a smile that lights up the room. Thirty minutes later, a gunman murders her, 18 classmates and two teachers.
Lisa Desjardins:
One campaign fully launched. Another put on the brakes.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced today that he's suspending his campaign.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , Former Presidential Candidate: Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues.
Lisa Desjardins:
Kennedy said he wants to help former President Trump.
As for Trump…
Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: We just had a very nice endorsem*nt.
Lisa Desjardins:
… he was in battleground mode again with an afternoon event in Las Vegas, stressing his plan to end taxes on tips.
