As Kamala Harris wraps joyful Chicago convention, her campaign sets sights on Pennsylvania and the path to the White House

CHICAGO — Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted her party’s nomination for president, telling a packed-in crowd at the United Center that she would be a president for all Americans and fight for them as she did for years as a prosecutor.

“My entire career I’ve only had one client, the people,” she said.

“And so on behalf of the people; on behalf of every American regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks; on behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey … I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.”

It was the triumphant coda on a week that has built on Democratic momentum and aimed to introduce and celebrate Harris as the party’s history-making nominee with less than three months to go in a tight presidential election battle.

Now that the balloons have fallen, here are our takeaways from the week in Chicago and what it could mean for Harris in November in crucial Pennsylvania.

The blue carpet was rolled out for the commonwealth.

The Pennsylvania delegation was directly in front of the stage to the right of California, Harris’ home state. For context, reliably Democratic New Jersey was crammed into a back corner of the arena almost a football field away.

The flood of photographers around the Pennsylvania delegates was so intense that floor security kept having to clear people out. Ahead of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s speech Wednesday, the delegation’s vice chair Peggy Grove kept yelling at photographers blocking her view to “get down!”

While it made for tight quarters, the placement hammered home the state’s importance for Harris this fall. And at the Palmer Hotel downtown, the delegation’s breakfasts drew big political names and some surprise VIP guests, including Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen.

The breakfast speeches were variations on the same theme: Pennsylvania decides the election.

“How Pennsylvania goes will dictate and determine whether or not we win the White House again,” DNC chair Jamie Harrison said. “The eyes of the world are looking at what happens in Pennsylvania over the next few months, so I hope you’re all ready.”

Harris campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez told the delegation Pennsylvania was the Harris team’s “largest operation,” with 36 field offices and more than 300 staffers on the ground.

By the end of the week, Shapiro admitted he feels a personal responsibility to deliver the state — and the presidency.

Speaking of Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s popular governor was everywhere at the DNC, touting the Harris-Walz ticket and promoting his own administration’s work.

Shapiro hit more delegation hotel breakfasts than any other Democrat we saw out here (though he did cancel his Thursday appearances the morning after his prime-time speech the night before).

He was also the subject of repeated attacks by former President Donald Trump, who referred to Shapiro hours after his speech as “the overrated Jewish Governor of Pennsylvania.”

Shapiro told reporters Thursday morning that Trump seems “obsessed with him,” and that the former president “routinely peddled antisemitic tropes.”

It’s unclear what Shapiro’s political trajectory will be, but there’s no question this week served to further raise his profile after he lost out on the VP slot to Walz.

And his appearances before the delegations from New Hampshire and South Carolina — two early primary states — indicate he may be a contender next time the Democratic nomination for the presidency is up for grabs.

Our ears are still ringing a bit from the high-pitched screams that pierced the United Center Wednesday when Oprah Winfrey leaned forward and proclaimed: “Let us choose joy!”

From DJ Cassidy and the light-up bracelets turning the nomination roll call into a rave, to the number of times that word joy was mentioned in speeches (at least 35 Wednesday night alone), it’s clear Democrats are hoping that positive vibes attract people to the campaign.

Former President Bill Clinton called Harris the “president of joy.” Walz said Harris has consistently served “with energy, with passion and with joy.”

And when Harris took the stage she told a capacity crowd “it is now our turn to do what generations before us have done guided by optimism and faith to fight for this country we love.”

She tried to draw a contrast with Trump, who she said was ”denigrating America, talking about how terrible everything is. Well, my mother had another lesson she used to teach: Never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are. America let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for.”

When President Joe Biden was the nominee, the party’s appeal was often centered on fear of another Trump presidency. That message was on stage, too, but now Democrats have two emotions to appeal to as they seek to motivate voters.

As the first Black woman and Asian American nominee, Harris’ history-making potential connected with delegates, some of whom have broken their own glass ceilings, and inspired those who were looking for someone new to lead their party.

Harris’ acceptance speech delved into the story of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a biomedical researcher who immigrated to the United States from India with the goal of curing breast cancer.

Democrats made embracing the country’s diversity a central part of their convention pitch.

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson received a standing ovation. Actress Mindy Kaling spoke about making dosas with Harris and celebrating their shared Indian heritage. Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) delivered part of his speech in Spanish.

And Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the first LGBTQ person elected statewide in her state, held up her hand and said opponents of same-sex marriage “can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand,” borrowing a phrasing conservatives have long used to discuss gun rights.

On the convention’s final night, women around the United Center wore white in homage to the suffragette movement.

“I’m thinking about the future and what it means to be here in person experiencing the excitement of nominating and potentially voting for the first female president,” said Philadelphia City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who wore an ivory suit and silver pumps. “Me, a girl from North Philly, sitting six rows back.”

Despite the big tent, Democrats are still grappling with their intraparty divide over U.S. military support for Israel in the war in Gaza.

It was not the Chicago convention of 1968. The protests that the party had been bracing for were peaceful and the convention went largely uninterrupted.

Inside the United Center, that was by design: The DNC chose not to give a speaking slot to a representative of the uncommitted delegates who had been hoping to speak out against the war. The proposed speech would have been delivered by Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American and uncommitted delegate.

Instead of addressing the convention, a few dozen uncommitted delegates held a “sit-in” protest outside the United Center Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive Democrat who represents Western Pennsylvania, thanked the pro-Palestinian delegates for “not stopping.”

“Thank you for continuing even in pain and grief, as so many people are living through right now, to still speak up in your grief in the face of people who would essentially spit in your face,” she said.

Harris drew some of her loudest applause of the night recognizing Palestinian suffering in Gaza.

“The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” Harris said. “President Biden and I are working to end this war, such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity.”

And while some progressives criticized the lack of Palestinian representation, there was a concerted effort by the party to rebut GOP claims of antisemitism that have intensified in recent weeks.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer emphasized their Jewish backgrounds.

“As the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history, I want my grandkids — and all grandkids — to never, never face discrimination because of who they are,” Schumer said Tuesday night. “But Donald Trump — this is a guy who peddles antisemitic stereotypes.”

The convention also featured a speech from Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, an Israeli American who was taken hostage by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack.

Democrats leave the Windy City with some tailwind, but there are challenges ahead.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signaled he might end his campaign this week and endorse Trump.

It’s unclear how that might impact a close race in Pennsylvania, where Kennedy was drawing about 5% of the vote, but given the state has been won in the last two elections by about 1 percentage point, any shift toward Trump could be problematic for Democrats.

And while Harris has greatly improved her party’s standing in the race, she leaves Chicago still running like the underdog in an extremely close election.

There’s also some concern among Democrats that the last month of almost unlimited and largely positive media attention on Harris will wane — especially as Harris faces criticism for not taking enough questions from reporters.

Harris is slated to debate Trump on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, a moment the former president hopes will reverse the momentum Democrats felt in the United Center this week.