Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to reintroduce herself on the national stage on Thursday night, as she formally accepts the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.

She will will pay tribute to her immigrant mother and her upbringing and share the personal story about what led her to become a prosecutor in her acceptance speech, according to excerpts made availabile in advance.

What You Need To Know

  • Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to reintroduce herself on the national stage on Thursday night, as she formally accepts the Democratic Party’s nomination

  • She will will pay tribute to her immigrant mother and her upbringing and share the personal story about what led her to become a prosecutor in her acceptance speech, according to excerpts made availabile in advance

  • Harris will tie those experiences to how she intends to govern, by charting what she calls a New Way Forward “not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans

  • According to a source familiar with the campaign’s plans, Harris will share her story and background, explaining herself as a daughter to a middle-class working mother who began practicing law to protect and seek justice for victims

"America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected," Harris is set to say, per excerpts of her remarks. "But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys."

"My mother Shyamala Harris had one of her own," she's set to add. "I miss her every day--especially now. And I know she’s looking down tonight, and smiling. "My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakeable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer."

She will tie those experiences to how she intends to govern, by charting what she calls a New Way Forward “not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."

"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past," Harris' prepared remarks read. "A chance to chart a New Way Forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."

"I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a President for all Americans," Harris is set to say. "I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads -- and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work."

She’ll seek to contrast her vision for the future with the agenda set forth by Donald Trump and the far-right Project 2025 presidential transition plan, which the ex-president has disavowed. She will call former President Donald Trump “an unserious man” whose reelection will have serious consequences for the country now that the Supreme Court has ruled he is immune from official acts undertaken as president.

"We know what a second Trump term would look like. It’s all laid out in 'Project 2025,'" Harris' prepared remarks say, adding: "In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious … Consider the power he will have—especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution."

The Democrats have worked hard to ensure that Project 2025 — a playbook for tilting the federal government toward the far-right, starting with the executive branch — is front and center before Americans. Each night of the DNC so far has seen at least one speaker summarize portions of Project 2025, which was spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think-tank that has set a foundation for policy in Republican presidential administrations since Reagan.

Though the Trump campaign has sought to distance itself from the nearly 900-plus-page document, his own platform shares commonalities with the plan, including a pledge to change hiring policies to install political appointees at every level of government.

Harris, meanwhile, is expected to introduce her "New Way Forward" agenda, which is called an "optimistic agenda" focused on economic opportunity and fundamental freedoms.

According to a source familiar with the campaign’s plans, Harris will share her story and background, explaining herself as a daughter to a middle-class working mother who began practicing law to protect and seek justice for victims. 

"We know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success," she'll say. "And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. This is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from."

And her vision for the country is expected to build on that optimism and her "faith in the American people." Harris is expected to contrast Donald Trump’s vision for the country -- often painting a dark specter of America's future under Democrats -- with her belief "in the promise of America" and her sense of patriotism.

“Fellow Americans, I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go — in everyone I meet — I see a nation ready to move forward, ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America," Harris is set to say.