THE BIG SPEECH

• It can be hard to grasp he warp-speed changes that Vice President Kamala Harris has brought to the entire American political landscape in the space of just five short weeks. The Democratic ticket is now the favorite, by a slim margin, to win the presidential election, according to a new prediction model released by one veteran analyst. A few weeks ago, President Biden was on the defensive even in Democratic strongholds like Virginia and Minnesota. Now, Harris polls surprisingly well in places where Democrats typically lose, like North Carolina and even Florida. Seemingly every heavyweight political commentator still expects this race to be very close. But there’s little question that Harris has the momentum: Americans’ favorable rating of Harris has increased 13 points since June, according to Gallup. And these past few weeks have, in a sense, been preamble to the big political set piece she’ll perform tonight: the convention acceptance speech.

• It’s a particularly big moment for Harris. Unlike, for example, former President Barack Obama, she’s never given a big, breakout speech to establish her origin story at a convention before. Her Vice Presidential nomination speech in 2020 was disrupted by the pandemic, as Politico pointed out. Lots of other presidents have already had such moments at a prior convention by the time they catch their party’s nomination. Obama’s came in 2004, with an electrifying appearance that propelled him to the White House four years later. For Harris, tonight’s that big chance. There are only a few scheduled performances in any campaign that can match the convention speech for singular impact. And in this ultra-condensed race, there may be no other such events left except for the presidential debate now scheduled for September 10.

• Harris is expected to lean into her personal narrative in tonight’s speech, including how and why she became a prosecutor. It’s a saga that hinges on a story about the time Harris’ best friend moved in with her, after Harris found out the father was molesting her. Harris is also expected to blast disgraced former President Trump over his links to the notorious Project 2025. And she’s expected to lean into expressing her patriotism — and talk about how fighting for ideals is patriotism’s highest calling, according to Playbook. 

• What’s more, she’s going to be joined tonight by some serious star power. Rumors are flying that Beyoncé herself will make an appearance — now that Harris has been using the artist’s song, “Freedom,” as a campaign anthem. We’ll find out what really happens when you do.  For now, the full official schedule is here.
  Lights up: it’s showtime.

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