into law. [ applause ] >> in this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake, the freedom to live safe from gun violence in our schools, communities and places of worship, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis and the freedom that unlocks all the others, the freedom to vote. [ applause ] >> with this election, we finally have the opportunity to pass the john lewis voting

rights act and the freedom to vote. and let me be clear. let me be clear. after decades in law enforcement, i know the importance of safety and security, especially at our border. last year, joe and i brought together democrats and republicans. the border patrol endorsed it. but donald trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign. so he ordered his allies in congress to kill the deal. well, i refuse to play politics with our security. and here is my pledge to you. as president, i will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and i will

sign it into law. i know. i know we can live up to our proud heritage has a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system. we can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border. and, america, we must also be steadfast in advancing our security and values abroad. as vice president, i have confronted threats to our security, negotiated with foreign leaders, strengthened our alliances and engaged with our brave troops overseas. as commander in chief, i will ensure america always has the

strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world, and i will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families. and i will always honor and never disparage their service and their sacrifice. [ applause ] >> usa! usa! >> i will make sure that we lead the world into the future on space and artificial intelligence, that america, not china, wins the competition for the 21st century and that we strengthen, not abdicate our global leadership. trump, on the other hand, threatened to abandon nato.

he encouraged putin to invade our allies, said russia could, quote, do whatever the hell they want. five days before russia attacked ukraine, i met with president volodymyr zelenskyy to warn him about russia's plan to invade. i helped mobilize a global response over 50 countries to defend against putin's aggression. and as president, i will stand strong with ukraine and our nato allies. with respect to the war in gaza, president biden and i are working around the clock because now is the time to get a hostage

deal and a cease-fire deal done! [ applause ] >> and let me be clear. and i will always ensure israel has the ability to defend itself because the people of israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called hamas caused on october 7. [ applause ] >> including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival. at the same time, what has happened in gaza over the past ten months is devastating. so many innocent lives lost. desperate, hungry people fleeing

for safety over and over again. the scale of suffering is heart-breaking. 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, security, freedom and self-determination. [ applause ] >> and know this. i will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against iran and iran-backed terrorists. i will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like kim jong-un who are rooting for trump, who

are rooting for trump. because you know they know, they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. they know trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself. and as president, i will never waiver in defense of america's security and ideals because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny i know where i stand, and i know where the united states belongs.

so fellow americans, fellow americans, i -- i love our country with all my heart. everywhere i go, everywhere i go and everyone i meet, i see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is america. i see an america where we hold fast to the belief that built our nation and inspired the world, that here in this country anything is possible, that nothing is out of reach, an america where we care for one another, look out for one another and recognize that we have so much more in common than

what separates us. that none of us, none of us has to fail for all of us to succeed. and that in unity there is strength. you know, our opponents in this race are out there every day denegrating america. 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, freedom, opportunity, compassion dig any fi, fairness and endless possibilities. we are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. and on behalf of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. 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, 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, let's fight for it, let's get out there, let's vote for it. and together let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told. thank you! god bless you and may god bless the united states of america.

thank you all. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> the vice president of the united states joined by her husband on stage, as she makes history here in chicago at the

democratic national convention. formally accepting the no, ma'am nauseous for president of the united states. and the crowd wants beyoncé. at least they're hearing it right now as tim walz has joined the stage. >> well, wherever beyoncé was watching, this has been kamala harris' night on this stage night. she drew a clear distinction between herself. kind of a virtual confetti falling around them. there is the shot. this is where tom llamas is on the floor wand about to be hit with 100 balloons. tom, if you can hear me, tell us

what you see? >> reporter: hey, savannah. i was just looking up because it just started to happen. i guess you got to go up. the balloons are starting to fall. 100,000 of them familiaring in the united center here in chicago. i want to point out there are large american flags right here. the democrats tonight sending a clear message that no party has the monopoly on patriotism. they want to make sure that demoats as well are patriotic as these balloons fall. i spoke to some delegates here asking what they loved about the speech. most of them said the loudest cheers for them came in talking about kamala harris as a commander in chief, what she would do in israel, what she for them, that was the part they were cheering the most. and also her life story, that her mother was the hero in their story, she was the leader in their family. they were immigrants. they were not rich. yet, they figured it out and

were able to have a good life. a life she wants to give other americans. also, they know who america is. they will see america into the future. the speech was well received as people, family and friends are now gathering up on the stage with kamala harris and the second gentleman doug emhoff, governor walz and his family. of course, his sound gus. and democrats all across the united center celebrating right now the official ticket. kamala harris, tim walz ready to take on the republican ticket. there is about 75 days left before election day. savannah and lester, we will send it back to you. >> balloons still falling of various sizes in the crowd here. they are just soaking up the moment. vice president harris and her family somewhere beyond these balloons. peter alexander, tell us exactly where you are in all of this and

the things that stood out to you. >> honestly, if you have ever been to a bounce house, this is that times 10,000 right now. these balloons are enormous. and in this moment, these balloons, what do these show? the first woman of color to do so. you were wiping tears away from your eyes. what moved you so much? >> i come from the middle class. my parents are from the middle class. my mom was a nurse. my dad worked at the post office. and i got to go to college. but my great-great grandparents were slaves. and my daughter is in congress. this is so overwhelming. i never thought i'd see this. >> you told me you never thought you would see a moment like this. >> no. i couldn't even think it. how could you imagine it. it happened so fast.

>> i don't think we're going anywhere for a while. there are balloons all around us. you better bet comfortable for a bit. john, you are from west hollywood california. >> yes, i'm a mayor. >> you stood up at least three dozen times throughout this speech. what resonated with you? >> it is hope. a candidate that wants to make the lives of the american people better. as a gay man, to have someone up there that represents me as the president is just the best feeling in the world. >> very nice to meet you. i appreciate you. savannah and lester, balloons, a little beyoncé, and the democrats have a little political bounce towards november. >> red, white, blue and beyoncé. let's go to kelly o'donnell at the podium off the stage, also taking incoming from the balloons. hey, kelly. >> reporter: well, we just saw

governor tim walz coming over here to waive close up to nebraska, the state of his birth and giving the high-five and touching his heart as if to say thank you and hello to those people who share a common home state. and, of course, from this angle, you get a real sense of how all of the extended family is now soaking up the moment of the famous balloon drop. it is a once in a lifetime experience for them, certainly. and we know there are 100,000 of these balloons. took days to put them together high above the rafters. when the cue came, they started floating down. what a night for the democrats. what an impossibly hard to predict set of events, including whether there would be guests or special guests tonight. what really was the focus of this night is the kind of change that democrats have had in changing their ticket. now defining their candidate, their running mate and now trying to take this from chicago to battleground states and key places around the country.

so this is the party. they're inflated with balloons, with confetti and a night of a sound track about freedom. so as we wait for the last of the balloons to drift down, the stage is still full with the family and extended family was all doug emhoff's parents, we saw his first wife, we saw the grand nieces of the vice president, who is now, of course, the nominee, and extended family members of a blended family that represents different cultures, different backgrounds altogether standing for the walz-harris families who now head on the road. back to you up in the booth. >> all right. let's bring back hallie jackson and kristin welker to talk about all this. i saw you all scribbling feverishly when we got into immigration, certainly when we got into israel and gaza. >> absolutely.

look, she took these issues on head-on. what was notable, lester and savannah, when she talked about her vision for the future, it sounds like she plans to build on the biden adventure. what this speech did was fill in the blanks about her biography. again, that theme of a strong mother and a figure head that she had at the head of her table that inspired her to become the person she is, what inspired her to become a prosecutor. all of those details getting filled in. then when she talked about the country, she talked about cutting taxes for the middle class, talked about things like voting rights, things that really matter to democrats. but, again, we didn't hear a whole lot about how she would do that. >> it's interesting. let's not forget, this is someone trying to be the first female president and the aura and the feel that people get

from her is important. it seems like she took on that role as prosecutor, whether it is about domestic policy, standing up to americans, adversaries or frankly calling out donald trump, her opponent again and again, hallie. >> a prosecutor who is making her own case now for why she should be one to lead the country. while her candidacy is historic, the presidency if she wins will be historic. >> we need to take a quick break. still ahead, as the democratic convention wraps up, we're 75 days out from election day. steve kornacki will be here to break down the state of the race

i'll say what city hall insiders won't. we have a drug, homelessness, and economic recovery crisis, because the system that's supposed to fix things is the problem. record budgets. fewer officers. business killing bureaucracy. the insiders won't change a system built for their benefit. i'm daniel lurie and san francisco needs a mayor unafraid to take on the status quo, bring accountability, and stop the excuses.

vice president harris has officially accepted the democratic nomination for president, and the balloons have dropped. so there is only one thing to do. that's to check in with steve kornacki who can give us a sense of the state of the race with 75 days to go until election day. >> a close race, but one that changed in the last month. you see that right here. when joe biden dropped out of the race, donald trump was ahead by three points. in a month or so since harris replaced biden, you can see harris on average ahead of trump by two points. big picture, that has been the shift. what has powered this shift for kamala harris? three groups stand out here where she has gained the most from where joe biden was. black voters, she's up eight points from where biden was. hispanic voters, young voters,

those under 30, an 11 point balance in favor of harris over biden. what does that mean for the all-important road to 270 here? this has been the battleground map this year. here is how that has changed with the progress harris made with those groups. before harris got in the race, the democratic path for biden was narrow. it meant win michigan, win wisconsin and pennsylvania. you can see what a win there for the democrats would do in the three states. they would be at exactly 270, nothing to spare at all. but it's now changing because of those demographic changes i showed you. more support from hispanic voters. nevada, arizona potentially coming into play here. georgia and how about this one, north carolina, a red state in 2016. democrats said they want to make this a battleground. there is polling in north carolina shows a dead even race, maybe even harris ahead by a

point or two. harris no longer has that biden limitation of having to win those three states there in the midwest, in the great lakes area, potentially at least she could win in some of these sun belt states and take the pressure of that great lakes path. more paths, more possibilities for democrats. we will see if she could capitalize them in the next two months. >> it looks like she expanded the possibilities on that map, steve. we'll take another break here. and coming up, our final thoughts and the big take-aways from the dnc with vice president harrisaking history. m

that will be critical to turning out the democratic base and also they need to convince independent voters to get behind kamala harris. that was one of the themes repeatedly tonight. you heard kamala harris deliver that message directly into the camera speaking to americans saying i will represent all of you. from here on out, it will be a fight. this race is extremely competitive. and the next high-profile moment will not be a party. it will be a face-off. >> we will all be sitting around the table to debate here. debates are the next to drop. >> that's the next big test. we know that vice president prepare for the debate. and i'll be curious to see if between now and then she starts

to put some more meat on the bones of these policy proposals we heard her talk about today, as she, as hallie just said, tries to reach out to independent voters. clearly she will emphasize the strong females. >> all right. that will conclude our coverage of this year's democratic national convention. we will have much more ahead and a full wrap-up tomorrow on "today." i'm lester holt. >> and i'm savannah guthrie. so glad to have you with us tonight and we'll see you bright and early for "today." good night, everybody.