In the shadow of Jan. 6, Harris concludes her case against Trump

The speech billed as Kamala Harris's closing argument reflected the nearly concluded campaign itself: her words were mostly about normal economic pledges, while the atmosphere pulsed with abnormal stakes.

She stood in the very spot where Donald Trump urged his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to disrupt the certification of an election.

She began and ended with references to that democracy-rattling episode, as spectators gathered in the spotlit backdrop of the country's most storied monuments.

"It will probably be the most important vote you ever cast," the Democratic presidential nominee began in her speech Tuesday to tens of thousands on Washington's National Mall.

"We are not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators. The United States of America is the greatest idea humanity ever devised," she said, closing with references to American history.

The bulk of her speech, however, was spent on the nuts-and-bolts promises of her campaign. These are the issues her team spends its advertising dollars promoting, the ones believed to swing more votes: new housing construction, tax credits for families, and abortion access.

As is also the norm in this campaign, there were protests. For anyone asking why this election is so close, one demonstrator carried a protest sign ascribing it to Harris's unflinching support for Israel.

Yet a number of people attending this rally, people already planning to vote for Harris, described the stakes as so much bigger than run-of-the-mill campaign pledges.

A husband and wife, tourists from Chicago, got misty eyed as they reflected on the day they'd just experienced in their nation's capital.

"This is a sacred time," Dave Andersen said, referring to the Nov. 5 election. 

"I'm optimistic that the very dark hour of Jan. 6 was a reminder that there's good and evil. And we continually need to put our effort on the good side of human nature."

This, after all, is an election where dozens of Trump's former officials haven't endorsed him – starting with his previous vice-president.

His former defence secretary, a top defence official, another defence secretary, and chief of staff, have all called him a fascist, someone with fascist leanings, or a threat to the United States.