Washington —

Vice President Kamala Harris' acceptance speech made it clear from the outset that no issue will shape the 2024 presidential election more than voters' attitudes toward the rapidly changing face of America.

Nine years after diving into electoral politics, former President Trump Embracing nationalism And he has made skepticism about immigrants central to his political brand.

He has made calls for “mass deportations” a key element of his current election campaign. He accused immigrants of “poisoning the blood.” He has made “transforming our country's demographic structure” the centerpiece of his political campaign, rejecting the demographic revolution that has dramatically transformed the country over the past 30 years.

Harris, a product of that revolution, welcomed it by accepting her party's nomination.

She described herself as a middle-class American kid, and said she grew up in a “beautiful working-class area” of Oakland that was on the “flatlands” rather than in the hills.

The portrayal contrasts sharply with Trump's affluent childhood, but even more strikingly, her origin story stands in stark contrast to the vision of America that Trump has promoted.

Harris emphasized her identity as the child of two immigrants — something that had not been the case for a US president since the early 19th century — and began her speech by recounting her mother's “improbable journey” from India to the US, where she met and fell in love with a man from Jamaica.

Harris went on to make immigrants' drive to succeed central to her run for president, accepting the nomination “on behalf of the kind of Americans I grew up with – people who work hard, chase their dreams, and care about each other… Their story can only be told in the greatest country on Earth.”

Harris' celebration of her immigrant background was one of two distinctive elements of her speech on Thursday — the other was how she described her relationship with the current administration.

Throughout the week of the convention, speakers used two very different metaphors to describe that relationship: passing the baton and turning the page.

The torch metaphor has since become a favorite of Democrats. John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Addressand appointed Harris as the next president to continue President Biden's policies.

The image comes as Harris has spent the past month uniting Democrats. An unprecedented effort by party leaders to promote Biden They urged him to give up on re-election.

In contrast, the metaphor of “turning the page” taken in its broadest sense implies that the entire past eight years — the Biden administration and the Trump administration — have been difficult times for the country to move forward from now on.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama Her speech on Tuesday nightShe tapped Harris to succeed her husband, praising her “contagious energy of hope — the anticipation, the energy and the exhilaration of being at the beginning of brighter days again.”

Harris also used the metaphor in her speech.

“In this election, our nation has a rare and fleeting opportunity to move beyond the bitterness, cynicism and divisive conflicts of the past — a chance to forge a new path,” she declared.

Despite the metaphor of a new day, much of the content of the speech could have been delivered by Biden had he continued campaigning.

Harris painted a polarizing picture on economic policy, promising to cut taxes for the middle class but warning that Trump would cut taxes “for himself and his billionaire friends.”

She described President Trump's proposed blanket tariffs as a “national sales tax” that would raise the prices of everyday items.

She drew sharp contrasts on foreign policy, pledging support for Ukraine and accusing Trump of “courtesan.”[ing] right down to tyrants and dictators.”

“As president, I will never waver in protecting America's security and ideals,” she declared. “In the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand, and I know where America belongs.”

She attacked Trump's character, describing him as a “dishonest man” and a con man whose sole purpose was to “serve the only customer he's ever had – himself.”

And with a clarity that Biden never displayed, she outlined the clear differences between the two parties on abortion, declaring that despite Trump's efforts to blur his position, “he and his allies will limit access to birth control, ban medication abortions and enact nationwide abortion bans, with or without Congress.”

But the issue at stake in the election remains the same: identity matters.

With Harris suddenly emerging as the Democratic candidate, the conflict over America's future that was supposed to be in the background of the rematch between Trump and Biden has now come to the forefront and become clearer.

Over the past two generations, the number of foreign-born Americans has soared to levels not seen in more than a century. Immigrants now make up roughly 1 in 8 Americans. Approximately 1 in 4 American children Have immigrant parents.

By contrast, when Trump came of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s, immigrants made up less than 5% of Americans.

The immigrant population boom came amid other major changes in American society. The convention featured a prime-time lineup of Black, Latino and LGBTQ politicians, many of whom were featured. Friends and relatives praised Harris' blended family, calling it an example of the modern family.

All of this comes as Republicans, and particularly Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, have proclaimed their support for 1950s family structures and gender roles.

Vance's positions on the role of women in society and his ridicule of “childless cat ladies” have proven politically toxic. Of the four candidates running for president, he is Most unfavorable public image.

In contrast, on immigration, the public is more divided and Democrats face a greater political crisis.

For Republicans, concerns about immigration have risen to the top of the political agenda. 9 out of 10 Republicans A Gallup poll conducted in June found that fewer than 3 in 10 Democrats said the United States should allow fewer immigrants.

But public concern about immigration goes beyond the Republican core, which is overwhelmingly white and largely rural: Support for immigrants and settlers has declined significantly over the past three years amid deep fears about the border.

President Trump and Republicans have been eager to associate Harris with images of chaos at the border, using it as part of a broader attack on her as soft on crime and dangerously tolerant of disorder.

“Kamala Harris will bring crime, chaos, destruction and death.” Trump made the declaration at a campaign event. During a speech in Michigan on Tuesday, he called his opponent a “mastermind” of a “Marxist attack on law enforcement.”

In speeches and campaign ads, Harris has sought to counter those attacks by highlighting her record as a prosecutor.

His courtroom experience as San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General Central to Harris' political identitya hot topic in her recent campaign.

She He has begun running for the party's 2020 presidential nomination.That experience played a key role and is reflected in the slogan issued in court: “For the People.”

But her law enforcement background, especially in her bid to appeal to progressive activists who play a big role in the Democratic primary, The murder of George Floyd The incident was carried out by Minneapolis police in May.

“Kamala is a cop” has become a derogatory catchphrase among the Democratic left, and she California disproportionately incarcerates black men.

Early in the campaign, it was unclear how Harris would tout her law enforcement experience, and in her first week as a presidential candidate, she focused primarily on parts of her record that are politically safe for the left: going after white-collar crime, pursuing con artists and holding corporations accountable for wrongdoing.

But by the second week, she was assigned to priority cases, prosecuting drug dealers, rapists and murderers.

And she used that experience as part of her efforts to resolve the border issue.

“Having worked in law enforcement for decades, I know the importance of safety and security, especially at the border,” she said Thursday.

She reminded the audience that President Trump killed a bipartisan bill on border security earlier this year. Senate Republicans reject itShe has pledged that as president she will reintroduce the bill to Congress and sign it into law.

The support for border security illustrates the difficult task Harris faces over the next two and a half months as she tries to claim the administration's popular accomplishments. Cutting insulin costs to $35/month For example, on behalf of patients covered by Medicare, they are distancing themselves from parts of Biden's record that voters don't like.

Republicans have expressed confidence that they will be successful in holding her accountable for all of Biden's failings by Election Day.

But so far, Voters don't seem to blame her. According to some polls, it's parts of Biden's record that they disagree with.

The roughly 10 weeks between now and Election Day will test whether Harris' “new and forward” pledge will continue to protect her from Republican attacks.

But as these debates unfold, Ms Harris' identity may become the fulcrum that decides the outcome of the election. The policy differences between the two parties are significant but may be outweighed by a fundamental divide over whether voters are willing to resist or embrace change in American society.

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