Hillary Clinton urged Americans to “keep going” as she spoke of the country potentially electing Vice President Kamala Harris as its first female president Monday night.
Following roaring applause that she likened to a change in “energy” across the country, the former Secretary of State told the crowd at the Democratic National Convention that the “future is here” and pointed to the “glass ceiling” that she also mentioned during her 2016 presidential election concession speech.
“Together we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling and tonight, so close to breaking through once and for all,” Clinton said. “And you know what? 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.”
Come Thursday, Harris will become the second woman to formally accept the party’s nomination for president, following only Clinton who made history when she clinched the role ahead of her 2016 run.
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Though she went on to lose the election to former President Donald Trump — an upset following Trump winning key battleground states — Clinton said during her DNC speech that “the story of my life and the history of our country” shows that “progress is possible.”
“But not guaranteed. We have to fight for it, and never, ever give up,” Clinton said. “There is always a choice. Do we push forward or pull back? Come together as ‘We The People’ or split into us versus them? That’s the choice we face in this election.”
After first losing the Democratic presidential primary to President Obama in 2008, Clinton’s success in gaining the nomination in 2016 was followed by apparent gains in the polls up until Election Day. She then won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes — the largest margin for any losing presidential candidate in the country’s history — but came up short in the Electoral College, winning only 227 votes compared to Trump’s 304.
“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,” Clinton said in her concession speech at the time.
Clinton went on to campaign for President Biden in 2020, also speaking then at the Democratic National Convention, and had again supported his re-election campaign alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton, up until President Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris in late July. The Clintons were then among some of the party’s first leaders to endorse her presidential campaign that same day.
In a joint statement at the time, the pair thanked President Biden for his accomplishments and for putting America first, but they said they’d be “honored” to join him in endorsing Harris “and will do whatever we can to support her.”
On Monday, Clinton thanked President Joe Biden for his “lifetime of service and leadership” before discussing the “new chapter in America’s story” that follows the work of women like Shirley Chisholm whose “determination,” Clinton said, allowed millions to “dream bigger.”
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Clinton also spoke of her and Harris’ shared history as lawyers, “helping children who were abused or neglected.”
“That kind of work changes you. Those kids stay with you. Kamala carries with her the hopes of every child she protected, every family she helped, every community she served,” Clinton said. “So as President, she will always have our backs. She will fight to lower costs for hard-working families. Open the doors wide for good-paying jobs. And, yes, she will restore abortion rights nationwide.”
But the speech would not be complete without a few jabs at her former opponent, who she said “only cares about himself.”
“On her first day in court, Kamala said five words that still guide her: ‘Kamala Harris for the people.’ That is something that Donald Trump will never understand. So it is no surprise, is it, that he is lying about Kamala’s record. He’s mocking her name and her laugh. Sounds familiar. But we have him on the run now,” Clinton said.
And in an apparent nod to Trump’s surprise victory after her lead, Clinton pushed voters to “work harder than we ever have” in the days ahead and to not “get distracted or complacent.”
“I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment. That we were here and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way,” Clinton said in concluding her speech. “This is our time America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here. It’s in our grasp. Let’s go win it.”
