WASHINGTON: US Vice-President Kamala Harris introduced her running mate Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, and herself to a Pennsylvania stadium packed with ebullient supporters as "middle-class kids" whose goal will be to strengthen the middle class if elected.
Walz stepped right into his role of an "attack dog" as the vice-presidential nominee by building on a catchphrase he had already given the Harris campaign.
He added the adjective "creepy" to "weird", a word he used earlier to describe the rival Republican campaign of former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
"Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future and a leader who will help unite our nation and move us forward. A fighter for the middle class, a patriot who believes as I do in the extraordinary promise of America. Promise of freedom, opportunity and justice not just for some but for all. So Pennsylvania, I'm here today because I found such a lever. To those who know him best, " Harris said.
"We love our country. And I believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country, " Harris said, "That is how we preserve the promise of America. And after all, you know the promise of America is what makes it possible for two middle-class kids -- one, a daughter of Oakland, California, who was raised by a working mother: the other a son of the Nebraska plains who grew up working on a farm -- possible for them together to make it all the way to the White House?"
Harris's candidacy has galvanised the Democratic Party, injecting a strong dose of energy that is drawing comparisons with the 2008 campaign of Barack Obama, who went on to become the first African-American President.