Kamala Harris delivers forceful speech to close out DNC and accept 2024 nomination

Harris was joined on stage by her family and Walz's family as red, white and blue balloons fell from the ceiling. 

A convention official said more than 100,000 balloons were prepared for the moment. 

The convention soon ended with a benediction, bringing the 2024 DNC to a close.

Harris wrapped up her nomination speech, calling on Americans to "write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told." 

"It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done," she said. "Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth — the privilege and pride of being an American." 

"So let's get out there," she said. "Let's fight for it." 

Harris said she and Mr. Biden are "working around the clock" to get a hostage and cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. 

"I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself," she said. "I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself." 

But she said what has happened in Gaza during the 10-month war is "devastating." 

"So many innocent lives lost," she said. "Desperate, hungry people, fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking." 

Harris blamed Trump for the Supreme Court rolling back Roe v. Wade. Trump appointed three justices to the court, creating a conservative supermajority. 

"Donald Trump hand-picked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom, and now he brags about it," she said. 

She said Americans have shared stories of miscarrying in a parking lot, getting sepsis and losing the ability to have children again. 

"This is what is happening in our country because of Donald Trump," she said, warning "he is not done." 

She said that he would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, enact a nationwide ban on abortion and force states to report on women's miscarriages and abortions. 

"Simply put, they are out of their minds," she said. 

Turning to immigration, Harris accused Trump of sabotaging a bipartisan immigration bill negotiated in the Senate that collapsed after Trump came out against it. The bill would have provided billions of dollars in new spending to bolster border security and reform key portions of the nation's asylum system. 

"But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign. So he ordered 

his allies in Congress to kill the deal," she said. "Well, I refuse to play politics with our security."

As president, Harris said, she pledged to "bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed" and "sign it into law."

She continued: "I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system. We can create an earned pathway to citizenship — and secure our border."

Harris attacked Trump, calling him "an unserious man" and urged Americans to consider the "extremely serious" consequences of putting him back in the White House. 

"Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution," she said. "Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States, not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had — himself." 

Harris formally accepted the party's nomination: "My entire career, I've only had one client: the people. 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, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America."

Harris began her speech offering her thanks to President Biden, calling his character "inspiring," and predicted history would look favorably upon his record in office.

The vice president used her remarks to share her life story about being raised by a single mother in California, who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 19.

"The path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected," she said. "But I'm no stranger to unlikely journeys."

She recalled moving often as a child, and eventually settling around San Francisco, where she was raised by a community of caretakers. Harris shared with the audience the lessons learned from her mother, including to "never do anything half-a**ed," which she said is a "direct quote."

Just after 10:30 p.m., Harris emerged to thunderous applause from the crowd to begin her acceptance speech.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he's "the last guy standing between you and the moment we're all waiting for." 

Cooper called Harris "one hell of a fighter" who is ready to take on "a lot of big fights ahead of us." 

"Even if you don't agree with her on everything, Kamala Harris will fight for you to the very end," he said. 

He said she will fight for families who need better heath care or safer places to live, for parents who want better schools, for workers worried about retirement and will have the backs of U.S. allies. 

"And when she fights, we win," he said. "Kamala is ready. The question is, are we? Are we going to stand up and fight for Kamala like she'll stand up and fight for us?" 

Maya Harris, the vice president's sister, spoke about their mother, who immigrated to the U.S. from India and was a breast cancer scientist.

"Mommy understood the power and the possibility that come with knowing and showing who you truly are. She knew we could be the authors of our own stories, just as she'd been the author of her own," she said.

Harris said while Americans may differ in their struggles, histories and perspectives, "what binds us together is the fervent desire to be free, to fulfill our God-given potential."

Harris said her sister knows what it is like to be the underdog but will fight for and bring together the country.

"It is why we need her leadership in this historic moment," she said.

Harris accused Republicans of wanting to take the nation backward, but her sister is seeking unity and progress.

"My sister says hold up now, we are not going back," she said. "Because Kamala understands we have so much more important than what separates us."

Harris said the nation needs to "elect a leader who sees the potential in each of us, a leader who cares for all of us, a leader who fights for every one of us. Our Democratic nominee, my big sister, the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris."

Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger lambasted Trump and said the Republican Party has lost its way under him. 

"Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party," he said. "His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness."

He said the Republican Party has "switched its allegiance" to "a man whose only purpose is himself." 

"Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. A small man pretending to be big. A faithless man pretending to be righteous. A perpetrator who can't stop playing the victim. He puts on quite a show. But there's no real strength there." 

Kinzinger is among the handful of Republicans who have spoken at the convention against Trump. He said he's still a Republican, but he had to put country first and is voting for Harris. 

"I never thought I'd be here. And, listen, you never thought you'd see me here, did you?" he said. 

"But I've learned something about the Democratic Party. And I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret. The Democrats are as patriotic as us," he said to loud applause. "They love this country just as much as we do. And they are as eager to defend American values at home and abroad as we conservatives have ever been. I was relieved to discover that." 

He said Harris shares his commitment to the rule of law, the Constitution and democracy. 

"To my fellow Republicans, if you still pledge allegiance to those principles, I suspect you belong here too," he said. 

Actress Eva Longoria led the crowd in a chant that puts a twist on the phrase "Sí se puede," or "yes we can." 

"Tonight, I'm here to tell you: Yes, she can. She se puede," she said. "Our voices, our vote, we're going to decide this election."

Longoria appeared at the convention earlier in the week with the delegation from Texas as it cast its votes for Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.

"Kamala's success is our success, and she supports us to dream big too," she said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer likened Harris' upbringing to millions of Americans, but said Trump cannot relate to those experiences.

"She's lived a life like ours. She knows us," she said. "Donald Trump doesn't know you at all. You think he understands that when your car breaks down you can't get to work? No. His first word was probably 'chauffeur.' You think he's ever had to take items out of the cart before checking out? Hell, you think he's ever been to a grocery store? That's what the chauffeur is for. But Kamala Harris, she gets us. She sees us. She is us."

Whitmer painted a picture of the next four years, receiving a news alert amid the chaos of daily life when "something hit the fan."

"You'll ask, 'Is my family gonna be OK?' And then you'll ask, 'Who the hell is in charge?' What if it's him? What if it's 'that man from Mar-a-Lago?'" she said, a reference to Trump calling Whitmer "that woman from Michigan."

The governor said that the nation has the chance to choose who will lead it in the next crisis.

"Why wouldn't we choose the leader who's tough, tested, and a total badass? I know who I want as our commander in chief," Whitmer said. "America, let's choose Kamala Harris."

Rep. Ruben Gallego, who's running for Senate in Arizona, highlighted his military background, and brought out dozens of other Democratic veterans as he spoke. 

We stand united — veterans, Democrats and patriots — to fight for everyone who served our country. But politicians like Donald Trump — they don't stand with us. They call patriots like Senator McCain losers. John McCain was an American hero. Show some respect. Trump's Project 2025 will slash veteran benefits and force VA hospitals to close across the nation," Gallego said. 

"Show some respect."

Leon Panetta, former White House chief of staff and former defense secretary under Obama, said the nation needs a "cool-headed commander in chief like Harris."

"Our warriors need a tough, cool-headed commander in chief to defend our democracy from tyrants and terrorists. We need Kamala Harris behind the Resolute Desk," he said. 

Panetta has some idea what those decision-making moments look like. He gave the order that ultimately killed Osama bin Laden. 

"I gave the order directing our special operations forces to fly two helicopters 150 miles at night and by the time the sun rose, Osama bin Laden was dead," Panetta said. "Because nobody attacks our country and gets away with it. Nobody. That's what our warriors do."

Panetta said Harris "knows a tyrant when she sees one, and our allies know a leader when they see one."

"Trump tells tyrants like Putin they can do whatever the hell they want," he said. "Kamala Harris tells tyrants, 'The hell you can. Not on my watch.'"

Panetta said the nation needs a leader who respects fallen servicemembers. 

"They are not suckers, they are not losers, they are our heroes," he said. 

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly touted Harris' foreign policy and national security experience, but began his speech with a quip that "President Obama had to follow Michelle. I had to follow Gabby and Pink."

He praised his wife, Gabby Giffords, and said she was able to address the convention because of a team of doctors, nurses and her speech therapist.

"We all need a team," he said. "I've flown into space four times. I've flown into combat nearly 40 times. Not once did I do that by myself," he said. "It took a team to accomplish a mission. It always does."

Kelly said Russia, North Korea, Iran and China are watching the country closely, and criticized Trump for skipping his intelligence briefings, as well as for derogatory comments he reportedly made about American servicemembers.

"If we fall for it again and make him commander-in-chief, the only suckers would be us," he said.

Kelly said that while the "world laughs at Trump," he praised Harris for her support for NATO, Ukraine, and free and fair elections.

"The world laughs at Trump. Literally. But folks, it is not funny," he said. "When he was president, that meant the world was laughing at us. The threats we face are too serious. The sacrifices our servicemembers make are too sacred. The alliances we've spent decades building are too critical. That's what's at stake now. The choice isn't even close."

Kelly was among the Democrats considered to serve as Harris' running mate.

Singer Pink performed her hit song "What About Us" with her daughter Willow Sage Hart following the speech by Giffords. The Grammy Award winner backed Mr. Biden and Harris in 2020.

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in an assassination attempt in 2011 and has since become a leading advocate for stricter gun laws, appeared on stage alongside her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly, to deliver brief remarks.

"I almost died. But I fought for my life, and I survived. I learned to walk again, one step at a time. I learned to talk again, one word at a time," she said.

"So many people helped me as I worked hard to recover — including a decent man from Delaware who always checked in on me. He still does. Thank you, Joe Biden. Thank you for everything. Joe is a great president," Giffords continued. "And my friend Kamala will be a great president. She is tough. She has grit. Kamala can beat the gun lobby."

Five Americans who lost loved ones to gun violence offered their stories, including Rep. Lucy McBath, the congresswoman from Georgia who lost her 17-year-old son, Jordan, when he was shot in 2012. 

"I saw firsthand the power of telling our stories," she said. 

Abbey Clements, who taught at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, said the young students and teachers lost on Dec. 14, 2012, should still be here.  

"On December 14th, 2012, I walked into Sandy Hook school," she recalled. "Suddenly, a loud crash, like metal folding chairs, falling. One hundred and fifty-four gunshots blaring. Hiding in the coats, trying to sing with my students, trying to read to them, trying to drown out the sounds. Terror. Crying. Running. I carry that horrific day with me. Twenty beautiful first-grade children and six of my beautiful colleagues were killed. They should still be here."

Kim Rubio's daughter Lexi was only 10 years old in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. One minute, the school was recognizing Lexi for receiving all A's. 

"Thirty minutes later, a gunman murders her, 18 classmates and two teachers," Rubio said. "We are taken to a private room where police tell us she isn't coming home."

Melody McFadden of South Carolina recalled hunting down information after she heard there was a shooting in Myrtle Beach, where her niece was visiting. McFadden lost her own mother when she was shot and killed by an abusive partner. 

"No one can find Sandy," she recalled. "I stay calm." Finally, she was connected to the coroner. 

Ten years later, her niece's murder is still unsolved. "I'll keep calling, and I'll keep fighting," she said. 

Edgar Vilchez of Chicago was in high school when his classmate was shot. 

"It changed my story," he said. "Instead about worrying about taking a test, I started worrying about living to take another test. They say schools are for learning, and I did learn a lot that day. I learned how to run, how to hide and drop. That what happens in the news can happen to me."

Comedian and actor D.L. Hughley told a few jokes before apologizing to Harris. 

"I don't blame Donald Trump for not wanting to debate Kamala," he said. "I've been married to a Black woman for 40 years and I ain't won one debate." 

"Trump is saying Kamala isn't Black," he said. "I guarantee you this, Kamala has been Black a lot longer than Trump's been a Republican." 

"If he keeps sliding in the polls the way he is, the only way to keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent it to her." 

Hughley said he previously made assumptions about Harris and repeated them to a lot of people without doing any research. 

"I'm here apologizing in front of the whole damn world," he said. "I was wrong, and I'm so very glad I was wrong, because Kamala, you give me hope for the future." 

Mr. Biden, on vacation in Santa Ynez, California, said in a social media post that he and first lady Dr. Jill Biden spoke with Harris before she delivers her speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Jill and I just spoke to @KamalaHarris — we can't wait to watch her accept this historic nomination," he wrote. "Kamala and Tim will inspire a generation and lead us into the future."

Included in the post was a photo of the president, holding a cellphone, and the first lady standing in front of a television showing the convention.

White House spokesman Emilie Simons said the Bidens called Harris to wish her luck.

Two of Harris' grandnieces appeared on stage alongside Kerry Washington to help clarify pronunciation of the vice president's name.

Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly mispronounced Harris' first name. In an interview with CNN earlier this month, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said she would "say Kamala's name any way that I want to." 

"It's come to my attention that there are some folks that struggle, or pretend to struggle, with the proper pronunciation of our future president's name," Washington said. "Hear me out. Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not."

Washington invited the two young girls on stage, who led the crowd in a chant of "Kamala," explaining the pronunciation is like "comma" and "la."

Actress Kerry Washington, star of TV series "Scandal," is the celebrity host for the primetime portion of the evening. She said she isn't at the DNC tonight as an actor. 

"I am here as a mother, as a daughter, as a proud union member," Washington said. "I am here as the granddaughter of immigrants, as a Black woman descendant of enslaved people. I am here because I am an American and because I am a voter."

"I am not the lead character in this story. You are," Washington said. 

Washington, whose character is Olivia Pope on the show, told the audience, "you are the Olivia Popes." 

"You are the superheroes saving this democracy," she said. "It is you, not me, who have the greatest power to convince your loved ones to vote. So just like Michelle Obama told us, let's do something." 

Washington began to try to take a selfie video with the crowd when actor Tony Goldwyn, who plays the president and her love interest on the show, rushed on stage to join her. Together, they took a selfie video with the crowd in the background for attendees to send their family and friends. 

Grammy-award winning group The Chicks took the stage to sing the national anthem, kicking off the 9 p.m. ET hour.

Multiple families took to the stage to warn against reelecting Trump. 

Wife and mother Anya Cook shared how two years ago, she was undergoing a miscarriage, but doctors refused to see her because of her state's abortion restrictions. 

"I miscarried in a bathroom," she said. "I'll never forget my husband's face as he tried to stop the bleeding, trying to stop what doctors should have been doing."

By the time she got medical help, she'd lost half the blood in her body. 

The family of Brian Sicknick, an officer who died following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol assault, also spoke. Craig, Brian's brother, said his family "knows how dangerous Trump is." 

"We need a real leader, not an autocrat who is stuck in the past," Craig Sicnkick said. "Brian, we miss you every day." 

Eric Fitts, a father of two boys, said he always tries to set an example for them, instilling character and values. 

"I want those values to be reflected in our leaders," Fitts said. "I'm tired of all of the hate. It's time to move forward together, and build a country our kids can be proud of." 

Texas Rep. Colin Allred is taking on GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in November and pledged to turn the Senate seat blue. A former professional football player, he currently represents Texas' 32nd Congressional District.

"In the NFL, we had a term for guys like Donald Trump and my opponent, Ted Cruz: 'me-guys,'" he said. "You know the type: Talk a big game, only care about themselves. But you don't want to be stuck with him at a barbecue. The truth is, America has neer been about 'me.'"

Echoing former President Barack Obama, who has said "the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'we,'" Allred said he has a message for the so-called "me-guys."

"'We' is more powerful than 'me,'" he said. "We will restore reproductive freedom. We will secure the border. We will protect Medicare and Social Security, and we'll turn the page and write a new chapter for this country: elect Kamala Harris to be the next president and beat Ted Cruz."

After he concluded his remarks, the crowd broke out into chants of "Beat Ted Cruz."

Steph Curry, the four-time NBA champion and recent Olympic gold medalist, appeared in a video expressing his support for Harris.

"I believe that Kamala as president can bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward," the Golden State Warriors point guard said. "This is about preserving hope and belief in our country, making sure families can be taken care of during their most precious times."

Curry recalled meeting with Harris at the White House after the Warriors' most recent championship in 2022: "I can tell you one thing, I knew then, and I definitely know now, the Oval Office suits her well."

He concluded: "So in the words of Michelle Obama: Do something! Go vote, be active. Let's show out in November like never before. It's been an honor for me to represent our country, it's an honor to support Kamala, so let's all do our part."

Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, Gen Z's first congressman, focused his remarks on climate change. 

"Fighting the climate crisis is patriotic," he said. "And unlike Donald Trump, our patriotism is more than some damn slogan on a hat. It's about actually giving a damn about the people who live in this country. Because when you love somebody, you want them to have clean air. When you love somebody, you want them to have safe drinking water. And when you love somebody, you want them to have a dignified job."

Frost recalled visiting communities who have had to rebuild their lives after their homes were destroyed in hurricanes. He said he listened to stories of immigrant farm workers who are "made to work in horrid conditions exasperated by this crisis." 

"Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have proven that tackling this crisis creates jobs," he said. "That investing in clean energy protects our health. That investing in mass public transit builds strong communities. And we must always remember that peace is essential to our climate and war destroys our environment. This election is about every drop of water we consume and breath we breathe." 

When Harris takes the stage at the convention later tonight to formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination, she will share her story with the public about being raised by a single mother in California and what motivated her to become a prosecutor.

According to excerpts of her speech, the vice president will urge voters to seize the November election as an opportunity to move forward and pledge to unite the country.

"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past," she will say. "A chance to chart a new way forward, not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."

She will also warn the nation about what a second term for Trump will bring, invoking Project 2025 and the policy proposals outlined in the sweeping agenda overseen by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

"In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man," Harris will say. "But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious."

She will draw on her travels during her time as vice president and on the campaign trail, and tell attendees that she sees "a nation ready to move forward."

"I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation, That inspired the world," Harris will say. "That here, in this country, anything is possible. Nothing is out of reach."

Four members of the so-called Central Park Five were introduced at the convention by the Rev. Al Sharpton. The Central Park Five were a group of Black and Latino teenagers arrested and charged for the rape and assault of a White female jogger in Central Park 1989. They were wrongly convicted in 1990 and exonerated when DNA evidence was matched to a different man who confessed to the attack. Their convictions were tossed out in 2002.

"Our youth was stolen from us. Every day, as we walked into the courtroom, people screamed at us and threatened us because of Donald Trump," said Korey Wise. "He spent $85,000 on a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for our execution. We were innocent kids. But, we served a total of 41 years in prison."

Yusef Salaam, now a New York City councilmember, said Trump wanted him and the other four men, who were teenagers at the time of the case, dead.

"45 wanted us unalive," he said.

Despite the DNA evidence and confession, Trump has said he will not apologize for the comments he made more than 30 years ago.

"That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not," Salaam said. "We have the constitutional right to vote, in fact, it is a human right. So, let us use it. I want you to walk with us. I want you to march with us. I want you to vote with us."

Rev. Al Sharpton, the longtime civil rights leader, vowed that the nation "won't go back" from all its progress before introducing the Central Park Five. 

Sharpton alluded to Trump's remarks about migrants taking "Black jobs," a comment for which Trump hasn't apologized.

Sharpton said Trump and others will learn in November. 

"We have fought too hard for women to be told to get out of the kitchen," Sharpton said. "We are now on our way to the Oval Office. We won't go back."

And the nation won't go back after fighting for LGBTQ+ equality, Sharpton said, or relinquish the right to vote. 

"We suffered and died and bled, went to jail to get the right to vote — we won't go back," he said. 

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for Senate in the battleground state of Michigan, offered her perspective as a former national security official. She served in the CIA and three tours in Iraq, and worked as an acting assistant secretary of defense under former President Barack Obama. 

"I want to talk tonight about national security," Slotkin said. "Because the choice in November is stark. America retreating from the world, or leading the world. Trump wants to take us backwards. He admires dictators, a lot. He treats our friends as adversaries and our adversaries as friends. But our vision is based on our values, the values that took us to the shores of Normandy and helped us win the Cold War."

Slotkin said the U.S. needs to partner with allies to tackle global challenges like AI and climate change. 

"And guess what, that takes friends, you've got to have friends to do that," she said. 

Slotkin urged Americans to "not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag, but spit in the face of the freedoms it represents."

She concluded: "We are the damn United States of America. We lead."

New York Rep. Pat Ryan, an Iraq War veteran, said Harris treats service members and veterans with respect and dignity, while Trump disrespects them. 

"At West Point, you learn the honor code: 'A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do,'" he said. "Well, there's a candidate who has violated every word in that code. A serial liar, cheater, and thief who looked soldiers in the eye then turned around and called fallen heroes 'suckers' and 'losers,' who insulted Medal of Honor recipients just last week." 

He then used military slang to describe the former president. 

"I'd tell you what I think of Donald Trump, but they told me I can't use that word on TV," he said. "I'm going to use an Army term — FUBAR. If you don't know FUBAR, Google it." 

Project 2025 returned for the final night of the convention, with Democratic Rep. Jason Crow highlighting some of the initiative's plans for national security and foreign policy.

"I refuse to let Trump's golf buddies decide when and how our troops are sent to war," he said.

A former Army Ranger, Crow said good leaders do not engage in "tough talk or chest-thumping."

"In war, talk is cheap," he said. "And trust me, I know a couch commando when I see one."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, took the stage to raucous applause from convention attendees and grew emotional, wiping tears from her eyes before she began speaking.

In her remarks, the Massachusetts Democrat took aim at Trump for his conviction by a New York jury in late May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and ongoing legal issues related to the 2020 presidential election.

"Donald Trump, the felon, has no plan to lower costs for families. He doesn't know how, and basically, he doesn't really care," she told convention attendees. "When did he ever fill up a gas tank or worry about a grocery bill? The only bills he worries about are from his criminal defense lawyers"

Warren went on to praise Harris for her economic policies and highlighted her efforts targeting price gouging during California wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"You know what I love best about Kamala Harris? Kamala Harris can't be bought and she can't be bossed around," Warren said.

The senator said she wouldn't trust Trump or Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance to look out for families on issues including the price of groceries, gas, housing, health care, taxes and abortion.

"Shoot, I wouldn't trust those guys to move my couch," she said, a reference to a joke about Vance that went viral on social media.

Warren faced off against Harris, Mr. Biden and a wide field of candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, said it's his job in Congress to study China. He noted that one of China's highest-ranking leaders wrote a book called, "America Against America."

"It's how they think they'll win," Krishnamoorthi said of China. "They know the only way they'll beat America is if we beat ourselves." 

"Mark my words, they want to see Donald Trump across the bargaining table," he said. 

Krishnamoorthi said Trump will "pit American against American, and that's what China wants."

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, another vulnerable Democrat, attacked companies for price gouging and greed, calling it "greedflation." 

"In just six months, a box of diapers went up $15. The corporations say your prices are up only

because their costs are up. They're selling you a lie. It's in the bag with the diapers. Prices are up because these corporations are scheming to drive them up," he said. 

The three-term senator is facing a tough reelection battle against former hedge fund CEO David McCormick. 

He said he and Harris are fighting to ban price gouging. 

"Americans don't expect stuff to be free. But we do expect it to be fair," he said. 

Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin said her mother struggled with addiction, and she never knew her father. But she had two grandparents who stepped in and raised her. 

"Everything I know, I learned from them," she said. 

When her grandparents aged, Baldwin said it was her privilege to take care of them. 

But Baldwin noted that Trump has said "there's a lot you can do … in terms of cutting" Social Security and Medicare, and said Democrats would protect entitlements.

"We Democrats, we honor our elders and ask the wealthiest to pay their fair share," she said. 

A Trump campaign spokesman said Trump was referring to "cutting waste and fraud," not Social Security and other entitlements. Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump has consistently said he does not intend to make cuts to Social Security or Medicare.

Baldwin faces a tough reelection fight in November, and her presence is notable. Other vulnerable Democrats, including Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, skipped the convention altogether.

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge detailed Harris' work as a prosecutor fighting for homeowners facing foreclosure and the efforts of the Biden administration focused on housing.

"Kamala Harris has fought to protect homeowners and renters her entire career," she said.

Fudge said Harris believes housing is a "human right."

"We can hand the keys to our housing policy back to a negligent landlord or we can elect a president who believes in safe, affordable housing for all," she said.

Sen. Alex Padilla of California talked about how Harris treats his three sons, saying she "greets them with kindness and respect." 

"Literally meeting them on their level, to speak to them and to listen," he said. 

"Kamala and I believe that all of our kids deserve a shot at the American dream," he said. "But today we know the dream is out of reach for too many families." 

He asked the crowd, "who is ready to defend the dream?" 

Padilla filled Harris' seat in the Senate when she became vice president. 

The leaders of the two biggest teachers' unions made the case that Harris will make the promise of America real, starting with education. 

"As an eighth grade science teacher for over 30 years, I can tell you that Kamala and teacher Ttim Walz understand, when our public schools are strong, our nation is strong," said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association. "They know expanding free school meals, investing in health care and keeping our communities and our schools safe creates opportunity for everyone." 

Pringle said former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance "will shut down the Department of Education and Head Start and make educators pay a higher percentage in taxes than billionaires."

Randi Weingarten, who heads up the American Federation of Teachers, said Trump and Vance "can't claim they're pro child while gutting funding for public schools."

Democrats convened for the last night of their convention in Chicago. Harris is set to address delegates, elected officials and other attendees and officially accept the party's presidential nomination later in the night.

Top Harris campaign aide Quentin Fulks told CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes Harris is still putting the "finishing touches" on her speech. 

But she still knows "exactly" what she wants to say, Fulks said. 

Fulks said Harris isn't completely revamping her speech, in the way former President Bill Clinton did earlier this week, when he rewrote his address after seeing the enthusiasm of the convention crowd.

Here's the full list of DNC speakers, as released by the Democratic National Committee:

• Minyon Moore, chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee
• Invocation by Everett Kelly, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, and Imam Muhammad Abdul-Aleem of Masjidullah Mosque of West Oak Lane, Pennsylvania
• Presentation of Colors by the Illinois State Police Honor Guard
• Pledge of Allegiance by Luna Maring, a 6th grader from Oakland, California
• Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas
• Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association
• Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers
• Sen. Alex Padilla of California
• Marcia Fudge, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• Rep. Ted W. Lieu of California
• Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
• Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, House Democratic Whip 
• Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado
• Mayor Leonardo Williams of Durham, North Carolina
• Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois
• Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
• Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado
• Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan
• Rep. Pat Ryan of New York
• Rev. Al Sharpton
• Members of the "Central Park Five": Dr. Yusef Salaam, member of the New York City Council, and activists Korey Wise, Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson
• Amy Resner, former prosecutor and friend of Harris
• Karrie Delaney, director of Federal Affairs at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
• Lisa Madigan, former attorney general of Illinois
• Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League
• Nathan Hornes, former student at Corinthian Colleges
• Tristan Snell, former New York State assistant attorney general
• Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts
• Courtney Baldwin, youth organizer and human trafficking survivor
• Deb Haaland, secretary of the interior
• John Russell, content creator
• Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida
• Rep. Colin Allred of Texas
• Joint remarks on "A New American Chapter": Anya Cook, Craig Sicknick, Gail DeVore, Juanny Romero and Eric, Christian, and Carter Fitts
• National anthem by The Chicks
• Kerry Washington
• Joint remarks by Meena Harris, Ella Emhoff and Helena Hudlin
• D.L. Hughley
• Sheriff Chris Swanson of Genesee County, Michigan
• Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia, joined by Abbey Clements of Newton, Connecticut; Kim Rubio of Uvalde, Texas; Melody McFadden of Charleston, South Carolina; and Edgar Vilchez of Chicago.
• Gabrielle Giffords, former member of the House
• Performance by P!NK
• Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
• Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense
• Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan
• Eva Longoria, actress and film producer
• Adam Kinzinger, former member of the House
• Maya Harris
• Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina
• Vice President Kamala Harris

The final day of the Democratic National Convention will conclude with Harris' address in Chicago. CBS News' Skyler Henry reports as some wonder if a surprise is in store at the DNC:

CBS News 24/7 has coverage of the convention throughout the night and is streaming the major keynote speeches. Watch live on your mobile or streaming device. 

A live feed of all of the speeches can be found here and in the player at the top of this page.

CBS television stations will have coverage beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Find your local CBS station here.