After the constant jubilation of the first three days, you’d almost expect the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention to be a disappointment. How can this large crowd maintain this level of enthusiasm for this long?
Yet Thursday night was an absolute barn burner (not a first for Chicago). Here are 33 photos to relive the magic of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ speech, everything leading up to it, and the dropped balloons afterward.
The country group The Chicks, ostracized in post-9/11 America after criticizing President George W. Bush’s war, sang the national anthem at the start of the fourth night of the DNC.Actor Kerry Washington stands among Harris’ adorable granddaughters, Amara and Leela, as they teach the audience how to pronounce “Kamala” (that’s comma-la).From left to right: Harris’ daughter Helena Hudlin, granddaughter Meena Harris and stepdaughter Ella Emhoff praised Harris as an “extraordinary woman.”An audience member watches as five activists and survivors of gun violence, including Rep. Georgia Lucy McBath, took the stage to talk about how such violence has torn her life apart.One of those who spoke out about gun violence was Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was one of 19 students and two teachers killed in the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. “Parents everywhere are reaching out to their children,” he said. “I will reach the daughter I will never have again.” (Remarks full.)“Our losses don’t weaken us,” said McBath (center), whose 17-year-old son was murdered in 2012 for playing loud music. “They strengthened our determination. We will secure a safer future that we all deserve. We will organize. . We advocate.Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly punches his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in a 2011 mass shooting that left six dead and 15 injured.The Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego (far left), who is also the Democratic candidate for a battleground Senate race, was joined on stage by other Democratic members of Congress who served in the military.You could say the DNC crowd got a little patriotic. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer brought levity to the stage. “Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all. Do you think he understands that when your car breaks down, you can’t go to work? she said. “No! His first word was probably “chauffeur”. An A-plus hat game.Great Gretch.Actor Eva Longoria spoke in the background of livestreams from DNC watch parties in battleground states.The former Rep. Adam Kinzinger asked his fellow Republicans to distance themselves from Donald Trump.Harris’ younger sister, Maya, spoke about their lives growing up together and the influence of their mother, an immigrant from India. “Mom’s journey and the opportunities she wanted for Kamala and me — it’s a distinctly American story,” he said.The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, asked the states of the battleground like his to bring the victory of Harris in November.Some in the crowd were well ahead of Cooper.Finally, although amazing at the time, Harris himself took the stage to rapturous applause.Harris began with a personal story, building on her sister’s speech. “My mother never lost her cool,” he said. “She was tough, she was brave, she was a pioneer in the fight for women’s health, and she taught Maya and me a lesson that Michelle (Obama) said the other night. She taught us to never complain about the injustice, but to do something”.The crowd eats.Harris’ husband, second lord Doug Emhoff, and their daughter Ella saw Harris formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.“Fellow Americans, this election is not only the most important of our lives, it is one of the most important in the life of our nation,” Harris said. “In many ways, Donald Trump is a very serious man. But the consequences, but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.“Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election,” Harris continued. “Donald Trump tried to steal your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians of his own party begged him to call the crowd and send for help, he did the opposite – he attracted the flames.“Children who survived sexual assault, potentially forced to carry a pregnancy to term. This is what is happening in our country because of Donald Trump,” said Harris. “And understand, it’s not done. As part of his agenda, he and his allies will limit access to birth control, prohibit medication abortion, and enact a ban on abortion in the whole country, with or without Congress.“(Trump) plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator, and force states to report abortions and abortions to women,” Harris said. “Simply put, they are out of their minds. And we have to ask – we have to ask, why exactly do they not trust women? Well, we trust women. We trust women.”“Fellow Americans. I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go, in everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward,” he continued, adding later: “We are the heirs of the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And in the name of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrifice so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment.”“It is now our turn to do what the generations before us have done, guided by optimism and faith. To fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we love, and to support the wonderful responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth: the privilege and pride of being an American,” he said at the end of his speech. (Remarks full.)Emhoff hugged Harris on stage after his speech. On that note, has anyone ever seen Donald Trump and his wife hug? Can his arms bend like that?Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (center right), and his wife, Gwen, joined Harris and Emhoff on stage to thunderous applause.Release the balloons!Walz and one of Harris’ nieces hit balloons on stage.Many women in the crowd honored the legacy of the suffragettes by wearing all white.The future.
