Anthony Zürcher
North America Correspondent

Perhaps the most important message from Kamala Harris’ speech was the venue — the same place where Donald Trump held his rally on January 6, 2021, shortly before his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.

The images from Tuesday night, contrasted with that cold winter day nearly four years earlier, provided the subtext of the entire speech and the shorthand that Harris could pivot toward her vision of what she considered a different kind of future.

It was actually a stripped-down version of his late August speech at the Democratic National Convention — complete with biographical details, policy proposals and repeated jabs at his opponent.

Democrats at their August convention were in fine form, enthusiastic about their new candidate after weeks of discouragement and infighting that led to Biden’s decision to abandon his re-election bid.

Since then, Harris’ campaign has had its ups and downs, and she is now stuck in what is shaping up to be a photo finish to next week’s election.

In her speech, she acknowledged that many undecided American voters are “still getting to know her” after her abbreviated presidential campaign – something that should worry Democrats given Election Day approaches.

Milestone speeches, however, are a Harris strength. And Tuesday night’s speech likely hit the key points his campaign wants to emphasize in these final days.