Hillary Clinton Hands Baton to Kamala Harris: ‘The Future Is Here’

Hillary Clinton, the first woman nominated for president by a major American political party, passed that baton to Kamala Harris on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, endorsing the vice president and her goal to become the nation’s first female head of state.

Eight years after she formally received the party’s backing, Clinton took the stage on Monday night to praise Harris and pass her the baton in the race to crack the “highest, hardest glass ceiling.”

“Something is happening in America. You can feel it. Something that we’ve hoped and dreamed of for a long time,” Clinton began her remarks in front of a packed house at Chicago’s United Center.

“The future is here.”

The former secretary of state, senator and first lady was the Democratic nominee in 2016 after nearly a decade of White House aspirations that began with her first presidential bid in 2008. Despite leading in the polls for the duration of the campaign, Clinton would go on to lose the general election to Donald Trump, whom Harris is now facing in what is expected to be another close election in November.

On Monday, Clinton urged voters to “just look at the candidates.”

“Kamala cares about kids, families and cares about America. Donald only cares about himself. On her first day in court, Kamala said five words that still guide her: ‘Kamala Harris, for the people,'” the former secretary of state said, mentioning Harris’ past life as attorney general of California. “That’s something Donald Trump will never understand.”

While Clinton promoted her nomination as a history-making moment, the second woman to secure the backing of a major party for a White House run has not. In fact, Harris has downplayed her gender and avoided highlighting the fact that she could become the country’s first female president. Instead, she’s adopted a strategy that more closely mirrors Barack Obama’s in 2008.

While Clinton—donned in her iconic pantsuits and accompanied by the slogan “I’m With Her”—repeatedly emphasized that her candidacy was an opportunity to shatter a political glass ceiling, Obama was focused on messaging a vision for the future, under the slogan “Change We Can Believe In.” Rather than talk about becoming the first Black president, he delivered a message that reassured voters he would be a president for all Americans.

The theme of the DNC’s first night — “For the People” — signaled that Obama’s winning message was still top of mind.

In a press release ahead of the convention, the Harris campaign said Monday would be focused on the “accomplishments and results President Biden delivered for people, with Vice President Harris by his side,” as well as Harris’ “commitment to fighting on behalf of everyday Americans.”

“At its core, the Harris-Walz ticket is a ticket for the people,” the campaign said.

William Howell, the University of Chicago’s Sydney Stein professor in American politics, told Newsweek that Clinton would take a moment to recognize the historical significance of Harris’ name on the top of the ticket but will follow the lead of the Harris campaign and not linger on or make too much of the point.

“Harris’ identity is part of the reason for the enthusiasm that is building around her, and Clinton, surely, will want to tap into it,” Howell said.

Democratic strategists have warned Harris against focusing too much on her personal identity and agree with her decision to follow Obama’s playbook. David Axelrod, the former president’s longtime confidant and adviser, told The Washington Post on Monday, “People can see; they don’t need a roadmap to figure that one out.”

“There are people who might be available to you for whom that’s not an incentive, or who may feel excluded if you make that focus,” Axelrod said.

Donna Brazile, a former Democratic National Committee chair who is close to Harris, told Politico that Harris will need to bring in voters “who see themselves living on the outskirts of hope”—voters whom both Trump and Obama were able to appeal to by focusing on values and by getting across the idea “that you care for them, that you see them.”

“There’s no other way to win in America,” Brazile said.