Beyond 'weird'

Good morning and welcome to US Election Countdown. I'm Steff Chávez, the FT's Washington reporter. As we enter the final day of the Democratic National Convention, let’s dive into:

• Tim Walz’s DNC debut
• JB Pritzker sideline chat
• Harris and Trump’s July fundraising hauls

It’s Kamala Harris’s big night.

She will give the most important speech of her political career this evening, formally accepting the nomination from a party that sees her as an agent of change and capping off the four-day DNC.

Last night belonged to Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate. Still largely unknown to much of the electorate, Walz anchored his remarks around his biography to deliver a plain-spoken, passionate and energetic speech — full of American football metaphors — about protecting personal freedoms and attacking the Republican ticket as extreme:

“When we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love. Freedom to make your own healthcare decisions. And yeah, your kids’ freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in the hall.”

“Leaders don’t spend all day insulting people and blaming others. Leaders do the work,” the Minnesota governor proclaimed. “So I don’t know about you, I’m ready to turn the page on these guys.”

Walz has been one of the most effective Democratic attack dogs against Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, labeling them and their platform as “weird”. He took this lambasting further in his keynote...Register for the FT to keep reading the newsletter for free.