The evening before Kamala Harris leaves for a final multi-day tour of the key battleground states that will decide the 2024 presidential election, she gave one last speech, virtually in the shadow of the White House.

The choice of location was no coincidence. Donald Trump held his rally at the same location on January 6, 2021, speaking to supporters just hours before thousands of them stormed the Capitol and disrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

On a mild October evening, Harris stood before an estimated 70,000 cheering supporters at an event they hope will be a counterpoint to that cold, violent January day.

And in the unlikely event that everyone watching missed the symbolism, Harris made it explicit early in her speech.

“We know who Donald Trump is,” she said on Tuesday. “He is the person who stood in this place nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob into the United States Capitol to overthrow the will of the people in a free and fair election.”

However, Harris did not dwell on the January 6 riot. The location did most of the heavy lifting, providing the subtext of the speech and the point from which Harris could pivot.

While she opened with a dark warning of an “unstable” and “unhinged” Trump “obsessed with revenge,” she pivoted and focused on what she called her “other path.”

Acknowledging that many undecided American voters are “still getting to know her” after her abbreviated presidential campaign, Harris touched on highlights of her biography and upbringing.

She went on to lay out some of her key policy proposals, including lowering the cost of housing, expanding the child tax credit and adding home care coverage to government-provided health insurance for the elderly.

She spent even more time talking about abortion and the need to enact legislation providing national abortion rights — a particular strength for Democrats over Republican opponents.

It was essentially a shortened version of her speech at the Democratic National Convention — a bookend to the late August speech that the campaign cast as an introduction to Americans.

Democrats were doing well then, enthusiastic about their new candidate after weeks of despondency and infighting that led to Biden’s decision to abandon his re-election bid.

Since then, Harris’ campaign has had its ups and downs, and is now locked in what will be a photo finish next week.

If the polls are correct, Harris still has work to do to win over undecided Americans — and this speech was her latest, biggest attempt to do that from a prominent stage, with the White House looming over her shoulder.

Beyond her biographical highlights and policy details, the message her campaign wants voters to keep in mind on Election Day appears to be one of contrasts – of division versus unity; bitterness versus hope; partiality versus cooperation; past versus future.

“I promise to look for common ground and common sense solutions to make your lives better,” Harris said. “It is not my intention to score political points. I am looking for progress.”

However, as she gave her speech, the current resident of the building behind her made comments that illustrated how difficult her task could be.

Biden, speaking about a mocking joke about Puerto Rico that a comedian made at a Trump rally on Sunday, appeared to call Trump supporters “trash.”

The president later claimed he was only referring to the rally speaker’s comments. But the video of his comments is unclear — and the episode already distracted from Harris’ event Tuesday night.

It’s just one more obstacle Harris will have to overcome, along with addressing US concerns about the economy and immigration – where polls show Trump has an advantage.

She also tried to address them in her speech, even though they seemed to take a back seat to loftier language and sharp attacks.

Her speech framed the election in a way that favored her. Next Tuesday will reveal whether a majority of the American public – or at least a majority in sufficiently important battleground states – agrees.