Kamala Harris
Kevin Lamarque/AP

How Kamala Harris Prepares for Big Moments

The vice president knows the pressure is on for her convention speech, those close to her say. But she has long had a vigorous process to face it.

Kevin Lamarque/AP

CHICAGO — Kamala Harris’ team was weeks into the laborious process of writing what they expected to be a high-profile vice presidential speech for the Democratic National Convention when their world changed, two sources told NOTUS.

President Joe Biden announced he would exit the race and endorse Harris to succeed him, setting her team off on a sprint to rally her party around her bid in what felt like record time for an unprecedented moment.

And in that time, her speech went from being simply important to the most crucial speech of her career. The vice president and her team didn’t throw away their framework, one person involved in the speech preparations said. Instead, they retooled it.