In that speech, delivered in January 2019, Ms. Harris owned her record as a prosecutor, told personal stories about the impact of her family and multicultural upbringing, and struck fear in the heart of her Democratic rivals. The argument for her candidacy at the time was similar to the arguments that voters and political analysts are making in her favor right now. Mr. Biden had the experience, Ms. Warren had the policy, and Senator Bernie Sanders had the progressive appeal - but Ms. Harris was the candidate who could theoretically do all the above. It did not matter that in that crowded primary contest, few voters said she was their first choice. It mattered that she was nearly everyone's second or third.

These days, that broad appeal is becoming the calling card of Harris's 2024 presidential campaign, around which Democrats quickly coalesced after President Biden's sudden exit from the race.

Now, with less than 100 days to go until Election Day, Ms. Harris has a rare opportunity to reintroduce herself to the American public. More than five years later, she is shaping up to be a different type of candidate this time - a Kamala Harris who sounds more like the one at that introductory speech in Oakland than the inconsistent candidate she proved to be.

Maybe the biggest change from Ms. Harris's 2020 presidential race is within her own party: Democrats seem to like her much more now. With Mr. Biden now out of the way, and the party fully unified behind Ms. Harris's candidacy, those who had long argued that she was undervalued will get their chance to prove it.

No matter what happened in 2019, Ms. Harris currently finds herself in an ideal electoral situation: a short race against a polarizing opponent, and with the backing of many small-dollar donors, celebrities and elected officials within her party.

It's now just up to the candidate.