Washington — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who herself came close to becoming the first woman president eight years ago, said Monday that the future is “in our grasp,” delivering an energetic speech at the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

“This is our time, America,” Clinton said. “This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here, it’s in our grasp, let’s go win it.”

Clinton’s speech came as Democrats showed a united front behind Vice President Kamala Harris after she replaced President Biden at the top of the ticket. 

Clinton, who took the stage to a lengthy and warm reception of cheers from the crowd, said, “Something is happening in America — you can feel it,” calling it “something we’ve worked for and dreamed of for a long time.”

Eight years after she accepted the party’s nomination for president at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Clinton said “we are writing a new chapter in America’s story” with the nomination of Harris — who is the first woman of color to be nominated as a major party’s presidential candidate. 

In her remarks, Clinton took the audience through a short history of women shattering glass ceilings in politics — from gaining the ability to vote to her nomination in 2016, which she said called the “honor of my life.”

“Nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dreams,” Clinton said. “And afterwards, we refused to give up on America … we kept our eyes on the future.”

“Well, my friends, the future is here,” she added, urging Americans to send Harris to the White House. 

Like many other Democrats before her on Monday, Clinton painted a stark picture of the future of the nation under Harris versus a second Trump administration. She told voters they face a choice between uniting as “we the people” or fracturing into “us versus them.” And she said, “Kamala has the character, experience, and vision to lead us forward.”

Clinton, who lost her presidential bid to former President Donald Trump in 2016 and has been the target of Trump’s ire for years, said it “is no surprise” that the former president “is lying about Kamala’s record, he is mocking her name and her laugh.”

“Sounds familiar,” she quipped with a shrug. “But, we have him on the run now. So, no matter what the polls say, we can’t let up.”

The former secretary of state said Harris’ victory would have meaning far beyond just one individual, saying it would uplift the nation by “opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone.”

“Together we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said. “And tonight, tonight so close to breaking through once and for all, I want to tell you what I see through all those cracks, and why it matters for each and every one of us.”

“I see freedom,” she said. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States.” 

The convention comes less than a month after Mr. Biden dropped out of the race and promptly endorsed Harris as his replacement at the top of the ticket. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, quickly endorsed Harris’ bid for the presidency.

Clinton celebrated Mr. Biden as well on Monday, saying he “brought dignity, decency and confidence back to the White House.”

“He showed what it means to be a true patriot,” Clinton said. “Thank you. Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership.”