Kamala Harris did what Joe Biden struggled to do — but she faces challenges ahead
Kamala Harris gave a brief thank you to Joe Biden but this was very much a speech focussed on her own story.
The vice-president has spent years in national politics as a senator and Biden’s deputy but she's never had an opportunity quite like this to introduce herself to voters.
She pitched herself a product of a middle class upbringing, the child of immigrants who was taught to believe that she could achieve anything she put her mind to.
She didn't explicitly point to the fact that she would become America’s first ever female president, if elected, but she didn’t have to. From the women wearing suffragette white in the stands, to the speakers that came before her, the historic nature of her campaign was obvious.
It’s impossible to know how different the atmosphere would have been in Chicago had Joe Biden still been the Democratic nominee.
But Harris delivered a forceful, energetic address in a way that Biden often struggled to.
The party faithful have rallied around Harris in the month since the president dropped out. The excitement in Chicago all week is testament to that.
But Harris needs broader support if she’s going to beat Donald Trump in November.
And she’s going to continue to face pressure to go beyond scripted speeches like this one and answer questions about her record in office and her vision for America.
In a contest that has changed so much, so quickly, in recent weeks, two and a half months could feel like a very long time.