Harris Takes the Lead as Biden Passes the Torch; Hillary Sets a New Challenge

On the first day of the Democratic Party convention, President Joe Biden passed on his mantle to his Vice President and the party's Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. As President Biden gave a strong endorsement to the Democratic ticket in his speech, he also paved the way for people to realize the historic opportunity in front of them, while Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, passed the task of breaking the "hardest glass ceiling" in American politics.

"Kamala and Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, know our nation must long be a land of opportunity, not just for the few, but for all," Biden told the Chicago Democrats rally.

Biden said Kamala is strong, tested, and incredibly smart with enormous integrity as he told the crowd that selecting her as his running mate in 2020 was the best decision of his career.

Kamala Harris was in the arena for Biden's speech, flanked by her husband Douglas Emhoff and Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz. The Vice President briefly addressed delegates ahead of Biden's speech thanking the President for his "historic" leadership and a lifelong commitment to the country.

Kamala Harris will deliver a longer speech Thursday, the convention's final day, and for the first time, formally accept the party's presidential nomination.

President Biden, in an hour-long speech that was at times emotional, spoke of the administration's work, repeatedly mentioning Kamala's presence in doing so—capping the cost of prescription drugs like insulin, fortifying NATO, appointing the first African American woman to the Supreme Court, and "defeating" big pharma.

The convention had initially intended to renominate Biden for a second term, before that changed to center on Kamala after Biden dropped out of the presidential race in the wake of a disastrous first debate in June.

Biden canceled his campaign in July and endorsed Kamala, now rallying the party. This speech was the end of his political career, the symbolic passing of the baton to Kamala Harris and the newer generation of Democratic leadership.

"America, I gave you my best," Biden said, using language that was very similar to a portion of his inaugural address in 2021. He took the stage accompanied by his wife Jill Biden and their daughter Ashley Biden. The First Lady became emotional during his speech.

Biden's speech was punctuated by frequent "Thank you, Joe" chants and then echoed by speaker after speaker. "Thank you, Joe Biden, for your leadership," said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the bomb-throwing Representative from New York, in her speech.

Former First Lady Hillary Clinton later took the floor, saying her 2016 run for presidency was aimed at breaking one of the most resilient barriers in American politics—the glass ceiling that has kept a woman from reaching the presidency.

"Tonight, so close to breaking through once and for all. I want to tell you what I see through all those cracks and why it matters for each and every one of us," Clinton said.

"On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States," Hillary Clinton told a conference to rapturous applause from the delegates.

Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential race to Trump, has spoken numerous times about breaking that glass ceiling since 2008, when she failed in her attempt at the Democratic nomination, won by Barack Obama.

"Though we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time. That has always been the history of progress in America."

She said, right after her defeat by Trump in 2016, "Now, I—I know—we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.".