Harris kicks off campaign by focusing on future, highlighting plans to help families

During her first speech as the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Kamala Harris said she’d fight to make child care more affordable, pass paid family leave, and restore reproductive freedom. 

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday spoke at her campaign headquarters in Delaware, where she used her first speech as a presidential nominee to highlight her vision for America and present a forward-looking policy agenda.   

In Harris’ future, “every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but get ahead.”

“We believe in a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every person can buy a home, start a family, and build wealth, and where every person has access to paid family leave and affordable child care,” Harris said. “That’s the future we see. Together, we fight to build a nation where every person has affordable health care, where every worker is paid fairly, and where every senior can retire with dignity.” 

These actions, Harris said, are about building up the middle class and will be the defining goals of her presidency, should she be elected in November. 

As of Monday evening, Harris has secured enough Democratic delegates to secure the party’s nomination following President Joe Biden’s decision on Sunday to drop out of the presidential race and endorse her as his successor. While Harris will need to be formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention next month, no other candidate has stepped up to challenge her, suggesting she’s all but certain to be the party’s nominee.

Harris also used the speech to focus on painting a stark contrast between herself and Donald Trump. 

Harris highlighted her time as California’s attorney general and as a courtroom prosecutor, where she said she “took on perpetrators of all kinds,” including “predators who abused women,” “fraudsters who ripped off consumers,” and “cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.” 

“So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said. “And in this campaign, I will proudly put my record against his.” 

For example, Harris said that while she was a young prosecutor, she specialized in cases involving sexual abuse, whereas Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse. She said that as district attorney, she created one of the first environmental justice units in the US, whereas Trump promised big oil lobbyists he would reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental policies in exchange for campaign donations.

Harris also pointed out that Trump is a convicted felon, having been found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about their alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election.

But, Harris went on, “this campaign is not just about us vs Donald Trump.” 

“Our campaign has always been about two different versions of what we see as the future of our country,” she said. “One focused on the future, and one focused on the past.” 

Harris also sought to motivate her campaign staffers, underscoring the important role they will play in trying to help her win, and ultimately, achieve her agenda. 

“The baton is in our hands,” she said. “We who believe in the sacred freedom to vote. We who are committed to fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence and that’s why we will work to pass universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban.” 

“We who will fight for reproductive freedom knowing if Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every single state but we are not going to let that happen,” she continued. 

Harris said that her team in Delaware is going to be hard at work, attempting to elect not only her in November, but a majority of members of the United States Congress who agree that government “should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.” 

She added: “[a]nd when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as President of the United States, I will sign it into law.”