--- title: VP-Elect Kamala Harris Credits Women in Victory Speech description: Kamala Harris credited the work of generations of women for her barrier-breaking election as Vice President in her victory speech. canonical: https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/ author: Michael Zennie article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-11-08T03:11:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-24T11:12:23.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'but I Will Not Be the Last’ og:description: "Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities," Harris said og:url: https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b19ec6a3f22907c/698a13f18fd2ee7baa361f09/kamala-harris-vice-president-elect-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5119 og:image:height: 2879 og:image:alt: President-Elect Joe Biden And Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris Address The Nation After Election Win og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'but I Will Not Be the Last’ twitter:description: "Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities," Harris said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b19ec6a3f22907c/698a13f18fd2ee7baa361f09/kamala-harris-vice-president-elect-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 10:57 video:published: 2020-11-08 section: politics topics: presidential election, vice presidency, voting rights, women in politics, democracy, racial equality, pandemic response, climate crisis, systemic racism, election workers genre: speech, victory speech tones: hopeful, grateful, inspiring, unifying, reflective emotions: pride (high), gratitude (high), hope (high), determination (medium), sorrow (low) sentiment: positive audience: American voters, young women and girls, election observers, supporters of the Biden-Harris ticket, general public people: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, John Lewis, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, Doug Emhoff, Jill Biden, Barack Obama organizations: Democratic Party content_suitability: death [02:54-03:09]; health controversy [09:01-09:52]; politics [00:00-10:57] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'But I Will Not Be the Last’ > Sponsored content. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a5795a68-b67e-41a1-930c-c6cce0ef910f&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'but I Will Not Be the Last’ (Full Speech) [Watch (HLS stream): In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'but I Will Not Be the Last’ (Full Speech)](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gDx4TIoU.m3u8) (10:57)  _Published 2020-11-08. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris credited Joe Biden’s “audacity” that allowed her to break “one of the most substantial barriers that exists in this country” and become the first woman to serve in the second-highest office in the land._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivers a victory speech thanking voters, campaign staff, election workers, and her family. She reflects on the history of women and voting rights, highlights her role as the first woman in the vice presidency, and encourages young people. She outlines the work ahead, including addressing the epidemic, the economy, systemic racism, and the climate crisis, before introducing Joe Biden. ## Key points - Harris credits Joe Biden's audacity for breaking one of the most substantial barriers in the country by selecting a woman as Vice President. (00:00) - Harris says that while she may be the first woman in the office, she will not be the last. (07:47) - Harris praises voters for turning out in record numbers and says they delivered a clear message choosing hope, unity, decency, science, and truth. (02:25) - Harris describes Biden as a healer, a uniter, and a tested and steady hand, with a big heart and love for his family. (04:07) - Harris recalls her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who came to America from India at age 19 and believed in an America where this moment was possible. (05:42) - Harris honors generations of women of many backgrounds and recalls the 19th Amendment, the Voting Rights Act, and the 2020 generation of women voters. (06:09) - Harris lists the work ahead: saving lives and beating the epidemic, rebuilding the economy for working people, rooting out systemic racism, and combating the climate crisis. (09:01) - Harris pledges to be a loyal, honest, and prepared Vice President, as Biden was to President Obama. (09:01) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 01:35] Opening tribute to democracy and John Lewis. Harris opens by citing John Lewis on democracy as an act and the need to guard it. - [01:35 to 02:54] Thanks to campaign staff and election workers. Harris thanks campaign volunteers, poll workers, election officials, and voters. - [02:54 to 04:07] Voters choose hope, unity, and Joe Biden. Harris describes the challenging months and voters' choice of Joe Biden as president. - [04:07 to 05:35] Praise for Joe Biden and her family. Harris describes Biden's character and thanks her husband, children, and sister. - [05:35 to 07:47] Honoring her mother and women's history. Harris recalls her mother and the generations of women who paved the way and fought for voting rights. - [07:47 to 08:51] Breaking barriers and inspiring young people. Harris says she will not be the last woman in the office and speaks to children of all genders. - [08:51 to 10:57] Work ahead and introduction of Biden. Harris outlines priorities for the coming years and introduces President-elect Joe Biden. ## Key quotes - [07:47] Kamala Harris: "what a testament it is to Joe's character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country and select a woman as his Vice President." - [08:01] Kamala Harris: "But while I may be the first woman in this office I will not be the last" - [00:25] Kamala Harris: "Congressman John Lewis, before his passing, wrote, democracy is not a state, it is an act." - [03:43] Kamala Harris: "You chose hope and unity, decency, science, and yes, truth." - [09:52] Kamala Harris: "To root out systemic racism in our justice system and society." ## Questions this video answers - Who does Kamala Harris credit for her selection as Vice President? [07:47] - What does Harris say about being the first woman in the vice presidency? [08:01] - What did John Lewis write about democracy, according to Harris? [00:25] - What priorities does Harris list for the work ahead? [09:52] - Who was Harris's mother and where did she come from? [05:42] - What message did Harris say voters sent in the election? [03:43] ## Content suitability - death [02:54-03:09]: Speaker references grief, sorrow, and pain from recent months, and a friend's passing is remembered. - health controversy [09:01-09:52]: References the epidemic and the need to beat it. - politics [00:00-10:57]: Entire speech is a political victory address about the presidential election.  by [Michael Zennie](https://time.com/author/michael-zennie/)  ## Michael Zennie Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:12 AM UTCPublished: Nov 8, 2020 3:11 AM UTC Vice President-elect Kamala Harris credited Joe Biden’s “audacity” that allowed her to break “one of the most substantial barriers that exists in this country” and become the first woman to serve in the second-highest office in the land.  by [Michael Zennie](https://time.com/author/michael-zennie/)  ## Michael Zennie Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:12 AM UTCPublished: Nov 8, 2020 3:11 AM UTC [Kamala Harris](https://time.com/5878610/kamala-harris-picked-joe-biden-running-mate/) credited the work of generations of women for her barrier-breaking election as Vice President of the United States in a victory speech on Saturday night. “Black women, Asian, white, Latina and Native American women throughout our nation’s history who have paved the way for this moment tonight,” she said, adding: “Tonight, I reflect on their struggle, their determination and the strength of their vision—to see what can be unburdened by what has been—I stand on their shoulders.” Her election to the second-highest office in the land[ will break several barriers](https://time.com/5881589/kamala-harris-vice-president-2020/). She will be the first woman in the job, she will be the first Black woman, the first Indian-American and the first daughter of immigrants. Harris took the stage in Wilmington, Del., to Mary J. Blige’s “Work That,” wearing[ suffragette white](https://time.com/5777514/women-wearing-white-state-of-the-union/). This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave some women the right to vote. **Read more:** [_The Historic Barriers Kamala Harris Overcame to Become the First Female, First Black and First Asian American Vice President-Elect_](https://time.com/5908579/kamala-harris-historic-vice-president/) “But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” Harris and Biden gave victory speeches to cheering, honking crowd of supporters, many of whom were socially distanced in their vehicles after she and Biden were declared winners of the 2020 presidential election following the Democrats’ victory in Pennsylvania. Harris, a U.S. Senator from California, said her election delivered a clear message to children all across the country to “dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way others may not, simply because they have never seen it before.” And she credited Biden’s “audacity” in picking her as his running mate, which allowed her to break “one of the most substantial barriers that exists in this country.” Harris credited activists who protested against President Donald Trump’s administration, and later campaigned and voted against him for the Democrats’ victory in the race for the White House. “America’s democracy is not guaranteed, it is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it to guard it and never take it for granted,” she said. “And protecting our democracy takes struggle, it takes sacrifice, but there is joy in it and there is progress. Because we the people have the power to build a better future.” She said supporters “chose hope and unity decency, science—and yes—truth,” adding: “The road ahead will not be easy, but America is ready and so are Joe and I.” Read the full text of Harris’ prepared remarks: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/"},"headline":"In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'But I Will Not Be the Last’","datePublished":"2020-11-08T03:11:39.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-24T11:12:23.000Z","description":"\"Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,\" Harris said in her victory speech on Saturday night after the election was called for Joe Biden","url":"https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/","keywords":["2020 Election","News","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b19ec6a3f22907c/698a13f18fd2ee7baa361f09/kamala-harris-vice-president-elect-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michael Zennie","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/michael-zennie/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b19ec6a3f22907c/698a13f18fd2ee7baa361f09/kamala-harris-vice-president-elect-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President-Elect Joe Biden And Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris Address The Nation After Election Win","caption":"Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speaks on stage at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del. on Nov. 07, 2020.","creditText":"Drew Angerer—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/2020-election/","name":"2020 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/","name":"In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'But I Will Not Be the Last’"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"In a Barrier-Breaking Victory Speech, Kamala Harris Says She May Be the First, 'but I Will Not Be the Last’ (Full Speech)","description":"Vice President-elect Kamala Harris credited Joe Biden’s “audacity” that allowed her to break “one of the most substantial barriers that exists in this country” and become the first woman to serve in the second-highest office in the land.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/gDx4TIoU/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-11-08T03:33:19.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gDx4TIoU.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/","duration":"PT10M57S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5908999/kamala-harris-election-victory-speech/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```