DNC: Kamala Harris urges US to take 'new way forward'

Balloons rained from the ceiling of the United Arena, as Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, capping off a whirlwind four weeks from when the original candidate, President Joe Biden, dropped out of the race.

The Democratic National Convention(DNC) was partly a tribute event to Biden, whose five-decade career culminated in the presidency. But mostly it was a launching pad for the Harris-Walz ticket, propelled by endorsement after endorsement from towering party figures past and present, and the star power of cultural and musical icons like Oprah and Stevie Wonder.

After days of having the likes of the Obamas, the Clintons, her husband Doug Emhoff and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi throw their support behind her, the time finally came for Harris to make the case for herself.

She delivered a message embedded with a hopeful, forward-facing vision, filled with promises of defending reproductive freedom and creating an "opportunity economy."

"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. You can always trust me to put country above party and self," Harris said.

And there was plenty to indicate that her audience was receptive.

American values take center stage

"I think her recapturing of American values, the appeal to all people who can be proud of our country on the national stage, domestic stage, all the policy priorities for not just Americans, but for people of all backgrounds and origins, that is something I am really excited about," said Cameron Deptula, a delegate from Hawaii.

Matt Golosinski, director of Research Communications at Northwestern University, said the messaging around all Americans pulling together was especially appealing.

"The highlight was this idea of everybody working together, lifting everybody up, instead of tearing people down. That is a very important message for everywhere in the world. Easier said than done, but I think we can start at home," he told DW. 

Community values and the importance of helping others was a recurring theme in the convention, one that vice presidential pick Tim Walz leaned heavily into while delivering his own speech — highlighting his background as a public school teacher and a football coach, while decrying what he criticized as Republican nominee Donald Trump's self-serving agenda.

"We made sure that every kid in our state gets breakfast and lunch every day," he said, referring to the universal free school lunch bill he signed into law in Minnesota, where's he been governor since 2019. "While other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing kids' hunger from ours."

Joe Barbuto, chair of the Wyoming Democrats, told DW he saw the choice of Walz as running mate as a sign of Harris' desire to reach the heartland.

"He's certainly a person who has a strong background in rural America and has done a lot of outreach into rural America, as a congressman, as a governor," said Barbuto. "That should be something to tell us she's serious about paying attention to not just the blue states, but our nation."

Harris' foreign policy credentials under scrutiny

But for some in attendance, it was concerns over Harris' foreign policy posture that was prevalent. This was especially true for the delegates representing the over 700,000 voters who cast their votes for "uncommitted" in the Democratic primaries to pressure the Biden-Harris administration to end political and military support for Israel over its war on Hamas in Gaza.

"As an uncommitted delegate, we want [Harris] to push for permanent and immediate ceasefire and arms embargo now, and of course we appreciate the fact that it was mentioned, but at this point words are not enough, empty promises are not enough, we need to know what her policies are," said Sabrene Odeh, an uncommitted delegate from Washington State, following Harris' speech.

Can the euphoria carry the Democrats to election victory?

The war remains one of the few divisive issues in a party that was quick to show a unified front in Harris's favor.  And outside the DNC, thousands of pro-Palestine protesters aimed to get within what they called "in sight and sound" of the convention — although many of them said there was nothing the Democrats could do to win their votes. 

"Our coalition is broad, and we are all over the country, so it is hard to say how everyone feels," said protest organizer Faayani Aboma Mijana. "But I can speak to my organization. I can speak to the US Palestinian community network. We are not voting at this point, the fact that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are on the table, we see as a symptom of a rotten system. The system only serves the rich and the powerful, and in doing that, gives us just these two options, and both of them at this point are equally bad."

Notwithstanding protesters concerns, the DNC was a four-day display of celebration and excitement around the now newly official Democratic ticket.

But with just over 70 days to go until the election, the question remains whether Harris and Walz will be able to ride that sense of optimism all the way to an electoral victory.

Edited by: Rob Mudge