A Look Inside the Moments that Defined Joe Biden’s Political Career

Over the weekend, the world saw Joe Biden elected as the 46th President of the United States. In the tight race against Republican Donald Trump, the Democrat currently holds a 290-214 margin in the electoral college and is projected to be inaugurated into office on January 20, 2021, alongside running mate, Kamala Harris, who made history as the first Black and first South Asian to become vice president.

Giving his victory speech in Delaware, his hometown, the President-elect expressed gratitude to Americans and assured citizens who didn’t vote for him, of equal service and regard, stating that “this is the time to heal America”. He said,

I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance.

Former President, Barrack Obama in a statement released, testified to the character of his former Vice President, urging all Americans to set aside their political differences and take a chance on him. He wrote,

The election results at every level show that the country remains deeply and bitterly divided. It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part — to reach out beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward, all of us remembering that we are one nation, under God.

In what CNN describes as a “cinematic twist”, it was Pennsylvania, Joe’s boyhood state that delivered him the white house. Donald Trump had an early lead but slowly began to lose grounds as more votes were counted. Joe has over time, built an image that resonates with the majority of the people, as “Middle-Class Joe from Scranton”, with the bulk of his campaign, promising to prioritize the livelihood of the many working-class citizens.

During a visit to his childhood home, he wrote, “From this House to the White House with the Grace of God,” on one of the walls of the living room and signed his name and the date, 11.3.2020.” According to CNN,

In the final days of the race, Biden’s team redoubled their efforts to rebuild the Democrats’ “blue wall” — and that gambit paid off with Biden winning Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, according to CNN projections, while holding Minnesota, which the President made a priority in his reelection push.

Joe Biden’s career began about 5 decades ago, in the Newcastle County Council, with 36 years as a US senator and 2 terms as Barrack Obama’s Vice President. The politician has had his fair share of tragedy, which many believe may have contributed to his kind nature and empathy for the state. Two months into his election into the Senate, he lost his wife and daughter and took his oath of office next to his son’s sickbed. In 1977, he married Jill Jacobs.

Joe was a primary sponsor of at least, 42 votes that were enacted into law, including an Assault weapons ban and the “Violence Against Women Act” which Joe stated that he wrote with his own hands. Though infallible like every other human, not all these bills sat well with the people, as the 1994 Crime Bill which was meant to be tough on crime, expanded mass incarceration and has been greatly criticized for disproportionately affecting minority communities. Re-assessing his stand and admitting his errors, he said:

I haven’t always been right. I know we haven’t always gotten things right but I’ve always tried.

Biden chaired different hearings as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, including the 1991 Supreme Court Confirmation hearing for Justice Clarence Thomas.

This is Joe Biden’s third time running for president – the first time in 1988 and subsequently, in the 2008 nominations.

Watch the video below:

President-elect Joe Biden has been a politician for more than 50 years. From the Newcastle County Council to the White House, these are the moments that have defined his career. https://t.co/Cgbo5RpdI9 pic.twitter.com/J5CFtKgkwa

— CNN (@CNN) November 7, 2020