Kamala Harris Hasn't Given a Speech Like This Before

It's Kamala Harris' big night—the vice president will formally accept the Democratic nomination at the party convention following a string of high-energy nights in Chicago. A look ahead:

• A first: Politico notes an unusual aspect of the speech—it's the first time Harris will lay out her own personal story on such a large national stage. Typically, presidential nominees are well-known by the time they reach this point. As for what to expect: Harris' allies "outlined an address in which she will connect her own personal story—a middle-class daughter of immigrants whose mother purchased their first home when her daughters were nearly in their teens— with the American dream," writes Christopher Cadelago.
• The biggest: The Washington Post advance story similarly calls this "the most important speech of her political career," adding that Harris has not gone through the usual slate of debates and primaries in which voters get to know a candidate. Harris—who has "never been known for soaring oratory"—has largely been holed up for two days with close advisers polishing the speech, according to the story.

• Tough yardstick: "For a hall of Democrats eager to see just how strong Ms. Harris will be against Mr. Trump, her ability to play on this field is crucial," per the New York Times, which notes that Harris has the unenviable task of following Tuesday night's speeches by Barack and Michelle Obama. "The comparison to the Obamas is perhaps not a fair yardstick. But that is what is going to be on the delegates' minds."
• The mission: CNN lays out what Harris must accomplish in the speech, including establishing herself as a credible commander in chief. Stephen Collinson elaborates: "Everything Harris says Thursday will be an attempt to neutralize attacks on her record on immigration, on her character and her fitness to lead in a restive world."
• Three mothers: Axios reports that the mothers of several Black victims of police violence—including Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Trayvon Martin (who was shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer)—have been invited to attend by convention organizers. The move "may symbolically renew the conversation on federal police reform, while also highlighting Harris's connection to victims affected by violence," writes Delano Massey.

(More Kamala Harris stories.)