Vice President Kamala Harris secured the delegate votes she needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday.

An Ohio rule forced Democrats across the U.S. to cast virtual ballots on her behalf, a process that began Thursday and is scheduled to conclude on Monday. New York played a role in getting Harris over the finish line.

“It’s a different narrative now, really talking about the future, building on the successes of the past, instead of being on the defense about the past,” Democratic state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli told NY1 in an interview.

DiNapoli is one of New York’s appointed delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

New York will send 307 delegates to help select the party’s pick. Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is one of New York’s superdelegates.

“This change has shifted the energy around voting for the president and Vice President Harris has really reset the table,” she said, when asked about the feelings of Democrats ahead of the convention. “The American dream is alive and well! There used to be, when I was growing up: ‘oh you could be president,’ nobody actually thought that any[one] but a small group of people would actually be president, because we always only see men in the role. We’d only always see, you know, white men in the role. It was a breakthrough when a Catholic was elected president.”

New York’s 39 automatic or superdelegates include both the state’s U.S. Senators, 16 congress members and party heavyweights like Gov. Kathy Hochul and former President Bill Clinton.

The party also appoints another group of delegates that could include elected officials or loyal party surrogates.

“Some folks gather petitions, you see them on the corner with the green paper and then get elected,” explained Christine Quinn, another superdelegate and executive committee chair for the state Democratic Party.

Exactly 179 Democrats were elected to represent the party. Looking at New York’s tenth congressional district, the group includes four state legislators, Hochul’s current and former right-hand aides and leaders of Democratic groups.

“We are casting a wide net, making sure that the community is represented at all levels. The convention is exciting, yes. We officially designate who our candidate is, but that excitement has to go back home,” Stewart-Cousins said.

Giving advice to fellow delegates, DiNapoli said it’s important for Democratic candidates to talk about issues important to New Yorkers.

“In the fall, it’s gonna tighten up — this is not going to be a runaway for either side,” he said. “Really speak to the issues people care about. I think on Long Island and across the state, the economy is still number one.”

Quinn says, ever since President Joe Biden announced he won’t be running for reelection, there is a tone shift.

“People were, after the debate, worried and concerned about what was going to happen,” she said. “And [people] really want to get to work — you weren’t hearing that right after the debate. You weren’t hearing ‘what can I do?’ You were hearing ‘oh my God what’s gonna happen?’ That’s very different.”

Democrats told NY1 they expect the positive momentum to continue once Harris names her running mate.

The City Council and homeless advocates intend to appeal the ruling.