WATCH: DNC delegates on what they see in a Harris-Walz ticket

CHICAGO – For Shantenae Robinson, seeing Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket was personal and “breathtaking.”

“I am a young Black woman,” the 32-year-old Arizona delegate said. “It’s almost like you’re re-envisioning what your future could be when you look at the TV and you say, ‘Mom, I want to be this when I grow up.’ And now I’m like, ‘Maybe I could be president when I grow up.’”

Delegates who spoke with PBS News at the Democratic National Convention on Monday described a shift in energy among Democrats after President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he would end his reelection campaign and endorse Harris to take his place.

About two weeks later, Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Together, Harris and Walz have created a ticket that is building excitement not just for the race to the White House, but also for down-ballot races, Michigan State Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks said.

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“I think it’s a shot in the arm that we really needed,” said Brinks, whose district includes parts of Grand Rapids. “Everything that they’ve done on the campaign trail so far has been getting an excellent reception in every state. So we’re just incredibly pleased. [It’s a] very strong top of the ticket that’s going to help us all the way down to state [legislative] races.”

The switch from Biden to Harris, after the president had already locked up enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee, created some confusion and criticism.

After Biden endorsed Harris, a majority of Democratic delegates pledged their support for the vice president, according to an unofficial delegate survey conducted by The Associated Press. In late July, Harris won the nomination during the Democratic National Committee’s virtual roll call, which was held virtually to ensure Harris could get on the ballot in Ohio.

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Delegates who spoke with PBS News at the convention said they did not have pause about the process.

“President Biden chose her as his running mate,” Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano said of Harris. “When the opportunity arose, people coalesced quickly around the person who could prosecute the case against Donald Trump.”

“Kamala Harris has been overwhelmingly elected vice president of the United States, which means she’s the next person to go in the event of a vacancy. That’s how our system is supposed to work,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, a delegate who represents Maryland and was the lead impeachment manager in the second impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump.

The choice between Trump and Biden is stark, delegates said.

“People are really tired of the doom and gloom. They’re tired of the negative view of things in our country. And that is what Trump brings more of,” Brinks said. “This ticket presents an alternative – and one that’s full of joy, one that’s full of optimism, and I think America is ready to be that country again.”