Watch: Hillary Clinton’s full speech at the DNC convention
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
CHICAGO “The day started so promisingly,” remembers Denise Murphy McGraw.
It was election day, and before the night was over, Murphy McGraw was sure that Hillary Clinton would be the first woman in history to be elected President of the United States. Wearing her white suit in anticipation of Clinton’s victory celebration, Murphy McGraw watched the election results being announced.
Then the unthinkable happened: Donald Trump defied the polls, the press and the pundits and defeated Clinton. Murphy McGraw was devastated.
“When I went to bed that night, I wasn’t sure if I would ever have the opportunity to vote for a woman and see a woman in that position again,” said Murphy McGraw of Niskayuna, New York.
Yet here she is, eight years later, ready to vote for Kamala Harris. And she dares to hope once again that the United States is close to electing a woman president – “and a woman of color at that,” Murphy McGraw said on Monday in the plenary session of the Democratic Party Convention, where she is a delegate.
For Americans whose dreams of a female president were shattered with Clinton’s defeat in 2016, Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden’s late exit from the race last month is a second chance that many never imagined possible.
Trump is once again the Republican nominee and polls again suggest a neck-and-neck race. But this time it feels different, said Democrats who attended the convention.
The Supreme Court’s ruling two summers ago overturning Roe v. Wade has created a sense of urgency among women who believe in reproductive choice. Disparaging remarks about women by Trump and his vice presidential nominee JD Vance, deriding childless people as “childless cat ladies,” sparked an uproar that Democrats believe will drive voters to the polls in droves and lead to Harris’ election.
“We tried for Hillary, but now is the time, the hour, the moment, and we will use every minute,” Mary Whipple-Lue, the former mayor of Gordon, Georgia, said at the convention.
Whipple-Lue’s remarks were briefly interrupted by a loud roar from the packed convention hall as a video of Harris was played on a large screen behind the main stage.
“We are in a crisis now and we want to save America,” said Whipple-Lue’s seatmate Desdimonia Cross of Decatur, Georgia. “We want to save democracy and keep the rights we’ve had for years. We expect that now. This is part of our lives, our children, our heritage and we want to make sure it’s preserved. It’s in danger if (Harris) isn’t elected.”
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Clinton, who received a rapturous reception in her speech to the convention on Monday night, referred to the 2016 election and reminded Americans that “progress is possible but not guaranteed.” She urged Democrats to “work harder than ever” in the coming weeks to elect Harris and not to become distracted or complacent or split into “us versus them” factions.
Harris has the character, experience and vision to lead the country, Clinton said. “Kamala cares about children, families and America,” she said. “Donald only cares about himself.”
Christy Rahrig, a delegate from Zanesville, Ohio, who wore a T-shirt that read “Empowered Women Empower Women,” said Clinton’s loss to Trump showed Democrats they can’t leave anything to chance this year. The energy in this election is much different than it was eight years ago, Rahrig said.
“Because of the events of 2016, there is much more support for Vice President Harris,” she said. “We don’t want to see anything like that happen again.”
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Women are campaigning for Harris much more aggressively than for Clinton, Rahrig says, and that work is starting at the grassroots level, especially in smaller towns hit hard by Covid and in economically disadvantaged communities.
“Now that we have nominated a woman for president again, I think America is conscientious enough to know that we need to move in the right direction, this time with a woman president,” she said. “Because we already know what happened with the other nomination. We can’t do that again.”
With Harris as the Democratic nominee, “the culture is different, the environment is different,” said Rose Penelope Yee, a delegate from Reading, Calif. “There is so much at stake for women today compared to 2016.”
There is no complacency among voters this time, Yee said.
“Even undecided non-Democrats have learned that we can’t take anything for granted and that every vote counts,” she said.
While it’s good for Democrats to celebrate Harris this week and everything her nomination stands for, “the real work starts when we’re all back home,” Rahrig said. “We have over 70 days until Nov. 5, so the work continues until Election Day, and then the work continues after Election Day.”
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Even if Harris were to make history as the country’s first female president, the work would not be finished, Rahrig said.
“We are not taking time out,” she said. “We must continue to move forward to perfect the Union that we all envision for our future and for our future generations.”
Michael Collins reports from the White House. Follow him on X @mcollinsNEWS.
