Antonio Zurcher
North America correspondent

The most important message of Kamala Harris’ speech may have been the location: the same place where Donald Trump held his January 6, 2021 rally, shortly before his supporters attacked the US Capitol.

The images from Tuesday night, in contrast to that cold winter day nearly four years earlier, provided the subtext for the entire speech and the pointed way Harris was able to pivot toward her vision of what she described as a different kind of future.

It was, in effect, a shortened version of his speech at the Democratic National Convention in late August, complete with biographical details, policy proposals and repeated attacks on his opponent.

Democrats at their August convention were on a high at the time, excited about their new nominee after weeks of discouragement and infighting that led to Biden’s decision to abandon his re-election bid.

Since then, Harris’ campaign has been up and down and is now locked in what is shaping up to be a photo finish at the polls next week.

In her speech, she acknowledged that many undecided American voters are “still getting to know her” after her abbreviated presidential campaign, which should be a cause of some concern for Democrats as Election Day looms.

However, set-piece speeches are a strength of Harris. And Tuesday night’s speech likely hit on the key points his campaign wants to emphasize in these final days.