Vice President Kamala Harris became the first Black and South Asian woman to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president Thursday night, capping a nearly flawless four-day Democratic National Convention. The historic gathering had to be created practically from scratch in just a few weeks’ time following President Joe Biden’s July 21 withdrawal from the race. The parties on the convention floor, the music, and the star power of three presidents—plus Hillary and Michelle—all demonstrated the party’s newfound joy and unity.
But it’s not just the vibes of the convention that spell success: Here are some cold, hard numbers.
Harris’ flawless speech came in at 37 minutes, making it one of the shortest acceptance speeches in modern history. (Donald Trump meandered and digressed and lied for 93 miserable minutes while accepting the GOP nomination) The pros loved it, including Obama’s former speechwriter, Jon Favreau.
While Harris was speaking, the Democrats had one of the strongest fundraising hours in political history: more than $6 million raised in one—yes, one—hour. And that figure doubled by the end of the night.
The overnight ratings aren’t in yet for Thursday, but the first three nights of the convention drew more than 20 million viewers each night. By comparison, the third night of the Republican National Convention drew less than 18 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
And the polls? Harris has gained steadily through the week, now sitting 3.6 points ahead of Trump in 538’s poll aggregate.
To cap it all off, Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, celebrated their 10th anniversary Thursday.
But hey, at least Trump is probably getting endorsed by that brain worm guy.
There are just 74 days to make this happen. Help send Kamala Harris to the White House!
