Vice-President Kamala Harris pledged a "new way forward" for all Americans as she formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday night, delivering a message of unity and urging voters to reject Donald Trump. November's election is a chance to "move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past", she said, bringing her party's convention in Chicago to a close as balloons rained down and supporters cheered. Ms Harris's speech capped off a four-day spectacle designed to highlight her backstory and shape the contours of what remains a vague policy agenda.
She made history as the first black and Asian-American woman to lead a major party's presidential ticket. The 59-year-old officially became the Democratic nominee after a fast-moving few weeks that began with President Joe Biden stepping aside in the White House race. Polls suggest she is now in a tight race with Trump, who offered criticism of Ms Harris's appearance as it unfolded.
Ms Harris used her nearly-45-minute address, the most important speech of her political career, to reintroduce herself to the nation. She shared personal anecdotes about growing up in a "beautiful working-class neighbourhood" as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants. And she argued that her background as a prosecutor - a detail she avoided emphasising during her 2020 run - made her uniquely qualified to defeat Trump and serve in the Oval Office, as did her record as vice-president under Mr Biden.
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