Area officials offered their congratulations to Joe Biden being declared the winner of the presidency by major news organizations on Saturday, while other officials seem to be waiting.
One local official, Unified Government Commissioner Christian Ramirez, wrote on social media: “A weight has been lifted off of our shoulders and we can finally breathe!!”
Major news organizations declared Joe Biden the winner of the presidency on Saturday, calculating that he had surpassed the number of electoral votes needed to win. His win will be official after the Electoral College meets and votes.
However, President Donald Trump did not concede, but planned lawsuits challenging the election results, with the help of the Missouri attorney general. (See https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20-542/160113/20201109134744257_2020-11-09%20-%20Republican%20Party%20of%20Pa.%20v.%20Boockvar%20-%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Missouri%20et%20al.%20-%20Final%20With%20Tables.pdf)
Biden, Kamala Harris and the Democrats put together a strategy during the campaign that won back much of the labor vote, turned out African-American and Hispanic voters, and garnered the support of college-age and suburban women.
Visits to Wyandotte County by presidential candidates have been somewhat rare in recent years, but Biden made an appearance in Wyandotte County on Sept. 22, 2019, to support striking autoworkers. (See https://wyandotteonline.com/biden-visits-uaw-strikers-in-kck/)
Wyandotte County voted almost 2-to-1 for Biden and Harris. The vote here was 35,623 for Biden and Harris to 18,530 for Trump and Pence, according to unofficial results.
Biden gave a victory speech on Saturday evening, saying there was a need to heal the divisions in the nation.
With the projection of Biden as winner, also comes “firsts” for America’s vice president-elect – the first woman, and the first black woman, as well as the first woman with ancestors from India, as Kamala Harris was declared the winner of the vice presidency by several news organizations.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., who won re-election last Tuesday, sent out a message on social media about the election: “I know a lot of folks are exhausted by the heated rhetoric in our national conversation right now. We all have our principles. It’s fine if we have honest disagreements sometimes. But we should always remember that we are not Democrats or Republicans first. We’re all Americans first. This has to be a time to heal, find common ground whenever we can, and make government work for the people. Every person and every corner of our community deserves a government that works for them. Not special interests.”
State Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist., offered a simple “Congratulations” to Biden and Harris on her social media site. The Wyandotte County Democrats social media site posted a congratulatory photo.
Unified Government Commissioner Christian Ramirez posted on social media: “Congratulations Mr. President-elect!!!! Joe Biden will turn this country around and bring back decency and honor back to the Office of the Presidency! Let’s get to work and bring our country back together!!
“Out of all the elections I’ve watched I’ve never cried before! I didn’t even cry with my election. A weight has been lifted off of our shoulders and we can finally breathe!!”
Former Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Mark Holland pointed out in a social media analysis post, “Whites oust Trump, Trump attacks blacks,” that probably more people voted against Trump than for Biden. (See https://www.facebook.com/mark.holland.9237)