Despite history made at DNC, little mention of Harris' race and gender: ANALYSIS

CHICAGO -- Democrats at the party's national convention are excited at the prospect of sending the first woman and woman of color to the White House. They're just not touting it and neither is the nominee.

Speeches on the convention floor and chatter among attendees are littered with references to the fact that Vice President Kamala Harris, as a Black and South Asian woman, would make history behind the Resolute Desk. But most speakers' comments were mostly used to spark applause rather than form the core argument for why Harris should be elected, and the vice president herself completely avoided the topic in her own remarks Thursday.

In a crowd peppered with suffragette-honoring white outfits, Harris walked out in a dark suit. And mostly, she opted to focus on her own biography and hammer away at former President Donald Trump, while boosting herself as a competent leader who will fight for Americans' priorities.

"I know she wants to focus on the policies that she's putting forward," said former Michigan Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the first woman to lead her state. "The cost of living, the cost of housing, and making sure that everybody's insured, etc. Those policies, I think, are what really bring people, in addition to the more than symbolism of having a first in a woman of color."

The strategy marks a departure from 2016, when Democrats were abuzz over the prospect of electing Hillary Clinton as the country's first female president. One night during that year's convention, Clinton delivered virtual remarks and was introduced by having her image appear after a picture of all previous presidents was shattered -- a reference to the glass ceiling she'd ultimately crack but not break.

Now, some Democrats had an almost blasé attitude about the historic nature of Harris' candidacy.

"Precedent," Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said when asked to explain the difference between the two conventions' messaging. "It's just, this is what we do as Democrats. We let talent emerge, we let it go. And because we have precedent, we've got some capabilities to look at this a little differently."

Democrats here are still licking their wounds from their 2016 loss.

Despite getting closer to the Oval Office than any woman before her, Clinton failed to expand Democrats' coalition, including among female women, whom she performed slightly worse with in 2016 than former President Barack Obama did four years before or President Joe Biden did four years later.

Clinton also had other unique vulnerabilities, Democrats said, but the party is now more sober minded about how much a historic identity motivates voters and are eager to avoid any missteps running against a candidate in Trump who they view as nothing short of a fundamental threat to democracy.

"That's a part of everything that's going on, but there's business to get to," London Breed, San Francisco's first Black female mayor who's up for reelection this year, said of Harris' identity. "There are some people who may not care about that, and that's not the reason [they'd vote for Harris]. The reason is what she stands for, what she's capable of and how she's going to lead this country."

On top of that, Harris has already made history in her current role as vice president, and to any voter paying attention to the race, the historical nature of her candidacy is self-evident.

"I think that's obvious to everybody who sees her," said Emily's List President Jessica Mackler, whose group works to elect women to office.

"I think her historic identity is an example of showing, not telling. For the voters who her identity is especially important to, it is obvious," added one source familiar with the Harris campaign's strategy. "So, rather than dwelling on her identity, it is better to focus on what she's done and how she will help average Americans."

That's not to say that Harris' identity hasn't imbued this year's convention with energy.

Clinton, who got one of the most raucous ovations of the entire convention, repeatedly hit on the progress that would be made by a Harris presidency.

"On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States. Because my friends, when a barrier falls for one of us, it falls, it falls and clears the way for all of us," she told the crowd.

"Her being a trailblazer is a big part of her appeal and enthusiasm," Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who is Indian American, added to ABC News. "I'm very excited, on a personal level, to see someone, an African American, Indian American woman, be the nominee and be embraced by all parts of our party. It's an incredible moment for America. It's a step forward."

And while the floor speeches haven't homed in on Harris' identity, the convention has made a point of underscoring the importance of Black women to the party in its scheduling.

Angela Alsobrooks, a Black woman and Democrats' candidate in Maryland's competitive Senate race, delivered the keynote address on Tuesday. Oprah Winfrey defied her typical aversion to the campaign trail to deliver a speech to a raucous crowd. And Michelle Obama spoke on Tuesday as well, delivering remarks that reminded viewers why she consistently polls as one of the country's most popular Democrats.

For the most part, however, Democrats appeared determined to maintain their message discipline on making policy rather than making identity the core of their argument.

Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota's Democratic lieutenant governor who would be the nation's first female indigenous governor if her boss, Gov. Tim Walz is elected vice president, told ABC News it heartens her that young girls can see a female nominee and that "I certainly think that representation matters." But she quickly moved on to emphasize Harris' qualifications.

"She is a highly qualified leader, incredibly accomplished, and I think people have seen her in that role, and it is an easy transition for people to make when she is the second in command as vice president to ascend to the presidency," Flanagan said.

When asked how personally excited she is at the prospect of the country's first female president, Flanagan responded, "I'm excited about the prospect of Kamala Harris as president."