Harris says Americans “ushered in a new day”


WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – NOVEMBER 07: Vice President-elect Kamala Harris addresses the nation from the Chase Center November 07, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. After four days of counting the high volume of mail-in ballots in key battleground states due to the coronavirus pandemic, the race was called for Biden after a contentious election battle against incumbent Republican President Donald Trump. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris invoked the life and legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis during her opening remarks tonight, reminding Americans that “democracy is not guaranteed.”

Democracy is “only as strong as our willingness to fight for it,” Harris said.

“To guard it and never take it for granted,” she added from Wilmington, Delaware. “It takes sacrifice. But there is joy in it. And there is progress, because we, the people, have the power to build a better future.”

Harris added: “And when our very democracy was on the ballot in this election with the very soul of America at stake and the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America.”

Harris’ speech comes less than 10 hours after CNN projected Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 electoral vote threshold needed for the presidency.

 

Biden and Harris will soon address the nation

The stage is set for President-elect Joe Biden to speak on November 7 in Wilmington, Delaware
The stage is set for President-elect Joe Biden to speak on November 7 in Wilmington, Delaware Andrew Harnik/AP

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will soon address the nation at the Chase Center in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

Biden’s central message will be one of unity, advisers say. His remarks thematically draw from the final major speeches from his campaign – in Gettysburg and Warm Springs, Georgia, advisers say, as he urges Americans to come together and promises to be a president for all Americans.

His speech has been written for some time, but adjustments have been made as the week has progressed.

In case you missed it: It was Biden’s boyhood state of Pennsylvania that put him over the 270 electoral vote threshold today and delivered the White House.

Harris, a senator from California, will make history as the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent to become vice president.

Biden’s projected presidential victory comes 48 years to the day of first Senate win

As Americans across the United States prepare to watch President-elect Joe Biden’s victory speech, CNN’s Arlette Saenz highlighted the significance of the day he was projected the winner.

“It was 48 years ago today that Joe Biden first won his Senate seat here in Delaware and now 48 years later he’s heading to the White House,” Saenz said at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware.

Some background: Biden, who was Delaware’s longest serving senator, was elected to office in 1972. He was first elected to the Senate at age 29, defeating Republican Sen. J. Caleb Boggs and would win reelection in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002.( CNN / IM )

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