Kamala Harris Poised For Pivotal Moment: A Defining Speech At The DNC

Vice President Kamala Harris is preparing for the most significant moment of her political career from a hotel suite in downtown Chicago. This week, she arrived at the Democratic National Convention riding a wave of momentum, eager to transform it into a movement that could catapult her to the Oval Office.

The gravity of the situation is not lost on Harris, who has been meticulously crafting her speech for weeks. Since President Joe Biden stepped aside from the top of the Democratic ticket, Harris has been formulating the argument she plans to present on the final night of the convention.

While Harris has never been considered one of the Democratic Party’s most captivating orators, her prosecutorial precision and ability to translate policy into relatable terms have energized massive crowds since she launched her candidacy just a month ago.

Despite serving as vice president for over three years, many Americans remain unfamiliar with large portions of Harris’s background. Throughout the week in Chicago, her campaign has strategically woven pieces of her story into various speeches, aiming to define her on their terms—as a prosecutor, a fighter, and the daughter of a single middle-class mother.

Harris is expected to highlight these themes and more in her address on Thursday. According to Democratic aides involved in her speech preparation, she has fine-tuned the text extensively, drawing from the stump speech she delivers almost verbatim at her campaign rallies. At the Park Hyatt Chicago, where she’s staying this week, Harris has been rehearsing diligently and consulting with aides and family members to perfect a speech meant to serve as a high-profile introduction to American voters.

Since arriving in Chicago on Sunday evening, Harris has spent most of her time behind closed doors, working on the speech with her team. She made brief public appearances on Monday for the convention's opening night and on Tuesday for a campaign rally in Milwaukee. On Wednesday, she joined Biden in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Middle East negotiators worked on a ceasefire deal—a stark reminder of her day job as she prepares to formally accept the Democratic nomination.

Harris has also been in close consultation with her team, which includes speechwriters and senior advisers like her chiefs of staff, Lorraine Voles and Sheila Nix, as well as her husband, Doug Emhoff. Since Biden ended his presidential bid a month ago, Harris’s convention speech has been a near-daily focus, with dedicated time in her schedule to develop its themes with a small circle of advisers.

Adam Frankel, who has been advising Harris since 2021, has played a leading role in writing her address. Frankel, who was on the speechwriting team for former President Barack Obama, has long studied the historic speeches of John F. Kennedy. His belief in the power of eloquence in public life—mobilizing people for real change—guides Harris’s speech preparation.

Aides say that Harris’s remarks will echo some of her major speeches over the years, including her presidential campaign announcement in 2019. While she rarely emphasizes her own history-making potential, she allows others to highlight that aspect of her story.

“If I have the honor of being your president, I will tell you this: I am not perfect. Lord knows, I am not perfect,” she told supporters in January 2019. “But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect. I will lead with integrity. And I will speak the truth.”

As the final hours before Thursday’s prime-time speech approach, Harris is focused on perfecting her delivery, anticipating how the audience will receive each line. This week has also provided time for her to connect with family, including members of her husband’s family, who have gathered in Chicago for the political event.

Former Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, a close adviser, noted that even Harris sees her Thursday night speech as “her introduction to America in her own voice.”

When asked about the main message Harris hopes to convey with her acceptance speech, Richmond said, “That she cares about them and that it’s not about her—it’s about them.”

“Her main goal is to let the American people know she will wake up every day fighting for them,” he added.

Brian Brokaw, who managed Harris’s campaign for California attorney general and has advised her for years, sees the vice president’s task on Thursday night as straightforward.

“Her task is to show the nation the Kamala Harris that many voters don’t yet know and, through her words, make crystal clear the stark contrast between the positive, unifying Harris-Walz vision and the doom and gloom of the Trump-Vance ticket,” Brokaw said.