As Republicans flail from ‘one stupid jackass thing to another’, Harris strives to define vision

Vice-president enjoys post-convention glow but her policies are undefined as Trump searches for line of attack

As Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for US president, and 100,000 red, white and blue balloons floated down from the rafters, Charlene Dukes' eyes filled with tears. It was when she spoke about her family, her upbringing, which is so similar to many of us," said Dukes, a Black woman from Maryland.

Many of us were not born with a silver spoon in our mouths," added Dukes, who said the prospect of the US electing a woman of colour as president for the first time in its 248-year history left her feeling euphoric".