Vice President Kamala Harris has been preparing for a pivotal moment in her political career as she gets ready to address the Democratic National Convention from a hotel suite in Chicago. She hopes to turn the momentum she has built into a movement that could lead her to the Oval Office. Harris has been thinking about her speech for weeks, crafting an argument that she will deliver on the final night of the convention.
Although Harris is not known for her eloquent speeches, her ability to distill policy into understandable terms has helped her connect with large audiences. Her campaign aims to define her as a prosecutor, a fighter, and a daughter of a single middle-class mother, among other things, to introduce her to American voters. Her speech is expected to touch on various aspects of her biography and more when she takes the stage on Thursday.
Harris has been working extensively on refining her speech, drawing from her campaign rally stump speech as a base. She has been practicing and consulting with her team and family members at the Park Hyatt Chicago hotel where she is staying. Since arriving in Chicago, she has dedicated her time to speech preparation, emerging only briefly to attend the convention, a campaign rally in Milwaukee, and a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Her team, including senior advisers, speechwriters, and family members, has been involved in the preparation of her speech. A focus has been placed on perfecting her delivery to ensure that the audience receives each line as intended. Her aim is to convey a message of caring for the American people and a commitment to fighting for their needs every day. The speech is seen as her introduction to America in her own voice, allowing voters to see a different side of Harris than they may have seen before.
Speechwriter Adam Frankel has been heavily involved in crafting Harris’ address, drawing inspiration from historic speeches, including those of John F. Kennedy. Harris has previously stated that she values speaking with decency, moral clarity, and truth, emphasizing integrity in her leadership. The focus before the prime-time speech has been on honing her delivery and anticipating the audience’s reaction to each line. Harris aims to show the nation a side of herself that many voters may not yet know, highlighting the contrast between her vision and that of her opponents. Her main goal is to assure the American people that she will fight for them every day and lead with integrity and clarity.
