33—yes, 33—can’t-miss photos from the final night of the DNC

After the constant jubilation of the first three days, you’d almost expect the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention to be a letdown. How can this large of a crowd keep up this level of enthusiasm for this long?

And yet Thursday night was an absolute barn burner (not a first for Chicago). Here are 33 photos to relive the magic of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ speech, everything that led up to it, and the balloons that fell afterward.

Country group The Chicks, ostracized in post-9/11 America after criticizing then-President George W. Bush’s war-mongering, sang the national anthem at the start of the fourth night of the DNC.

Actor Kerry Washington stands between Harris’ adorable great-nieces, Amara and Leela, as they teach the public how to pronounce “Kamala” (it’s comma-la).

Left to right: Harris’ goddaughter Helena Hudlin, niece Meena Harris, and stepdaughter Ella Emhoff praised Harris as an “extraordinary woman.”

An audience member watches as five activists and survivors of gun violence, including Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, take the stage to speak about how such violence has torn their lives apart.

One of those who spoke about gun violence was Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was one of 19 students and two teachers murdered in the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. “Parents everywhere reach for their children,” she said. “I reach out for the daughter I will never hold again.” (Full remarks.)

“Our losses do not weaken us,” said McBath (center), whose 17-year-old son was murdered in 2012 for playing loud music. “They strengthen our resolve. We will secure safer futures that we all deserve. We will organize. We will advocate. We will run for office.”

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly fist-bumps his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in a 2011 mass shooting that left six dead and 15 injured.

Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego (far left), who is also the Democratic nominee for a battleground Senate race, was joined on stage by other Democratic members of Congress who have served in the military.

One might say the DNC crowd got a bit patriotic.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer brought levity to the stage. “Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all. You think he understands that when your car breaks down, you can’t get to work?” she said. “No! His first word was probably ‘chauffeur.’”

Actor Eva Longoria spoke against a backdrop of livestreams from DNC watch parties across battleground states.

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger called on his fellow Republicans to turn away from Donald Trump.

Harris’ younger sister, Maya, spoke about their lives growing up together and the influence of their mother, an immigrant from India. “Mommy’s journey and the opportunity that she wanted for Kamala and me—that’s a distinctly American story,” she said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called on battleground states like his to deliver Harris victory in November.

Some in the crowd were way ahead of Cooper.

Finally—though shockingly on time—Harris herself took the stage to rapturous applause.

Harris began with a personal history, building on her sister’s speech. “My mother never lost her cool,” she said. “She was tough, courageous, a trailblazer in the fight for women’s health, and she taught Maya and me a lesson that Michelle [Obama] mentioned the other night. She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it.”

Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and his daughter Ella watched Harris formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.

“Fellow Americans, this election is not only the most important of our lives, it is one of the most important in the life of our nation,” Harris said. “In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences—but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”

“Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election,” Harris continued. “Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the U.S. Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite—he fanned the flames.”

“Children who have survived sexual assault, potentially being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. This is what’s happening in our country because of Donald Trump,” Harris said. “And understand, he is not done. As a part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress.”

“[Trump] plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator, and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions,” Harris said. “Simply put, they are out of their minds. And one must ask—one must ask, why exactly is it that they don’t trust women? Well, we trust women. We trust women.”

“Fellow Americans. I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go, in everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward,” she continued, adding later, “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,” she said at the close of her speech. (Full remarks.)

Emhoff embraced Harris on stage after her speech. On that note, has anyone ever seen Donald Trump and his wife hug? Can his arms bend that way?

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (center right), and his wife, Gwen, joined Harris and Emhoff on stage to thunderous applause.

Walz and one of Harris’ great-nieces batted balloons around on stage.

Many women in the crowd honored the legacy of the suffragettes by wearing all white.

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