Barack Obama will hail Kamala Harris as the future of the Democratic Party on Tuesday as she is formally crowned its presidential nominee after a roller-coaster ride in US campaign politics.
Former President Obama, still hugely popular and an influential figure in the party, will tell delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that Harris is the right person to lead the country into an “ambitious future.”
Obama’s comments will draw a line under President Joe Biden’s tenure following his stunning departure from his party’s ticket last month.
Roughly 4,700 fellow delegates will anoint Harris their candidate for the November 5 poll in a ceremonial vote, repeating an online count undertaken in early August devoid of customary pomp and celebration.
One by one, members of 57 delegations will announce their picks for the party’s ticket in what organizers promise “will be a celebration,” including of the accomplishments of the last four years.
In an emotional speech late on Monday, Biden chronicled the highlights of his time in the White House, heaping praise on Harris in an appearance designed to show unity.
Biden also said it was “not true” that he was angry at people who said he should step aside – amid reports that he was frustrated with Obama for not being more vocal in his support.
However, Biden was effectively the warm-up act for Harris, who will give her keynote speech on Thursday in a slot that just a few weeks ago would have been his.
‘Going to Do This’
Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016, said Biden “brought back decency” to the White House.
“Donald Trump fell asleep at his trial. And when he woke up, he made his own kind of history. The first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions,” she said to chants of “lock him up” reverberating around the arena.
Harris will meanwhile be campaigning in Milwaukee, which hosted the Republican National Convention last month.
Harris has managed to turn the White House race on its head since Biden stepped aside, reaching out to young, female and Black voters who had switched off from a battle between two elderly men.
Meanwhile, Trump has been left reeling by what he calls a “coup” by Democrats to replace Biden.
He has struggled to recalibrate his campaign to deal with Harris, falling back instead on personal insults and rambling speeches despite appeals from top Republicans to focus.
Protesters are expected to once again take to the streets of Chicago on Tuesday, after a handful of pro-Palestinian demonstrators briefly breached an outer perimeter fence on Monday at the convention venue.
Gregory Walton, with AFP
