You can now drop the “presumptive” when referring to Joe Biden as the Democratic Party nominee.
Following the tradition of both political parties, Biden was officially named the Democratic Party presidential candidate after a roll call of his roughly 2,690 delegates collected in the various primary contests throughout the winter and spring.
Winning the official nomination marks the end of a 30-plus-year-long quest for Biden, who first ran for president in the 1988 cycle and then again in 2008. Both campaigns ended shortly in disaster, dropping out the first time over plagiarism charges and winning zero delegates the second, both creating punchlines for late-night comics.
But Biden’s role as President Barack Obama’s vice president and subsequent decisive victories in the 2020 Democratic primaries have solidified him as the leader of the Democratic Party and one of its only hopes to unseat President Trump in November.
Despite the competing ideological forces within the Democratic Party, all convention speakers, ranging from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to former Ohio governor and 2016 GOP presidential candidate John Kasich agreed the most important task at hand was defeating Trump in the fall. Discussion of issues such as “Medicare for all” and a “Green New Deal” were largely absent, as virtually everyone agreed the current president represents a unique threat to the country and its institutions.
With Biden nominated, California Sen. Kamala Harris’s role as vice president represents yet another historic ticket for the Democratic Party. As vice president, Harris would be the first woman to reach the West Wing of the White House.
Although many Democratic voters were looking for a fresh voice to represent them in the general election, they ultimately settled on Biden, who virtually clinched the nomination by April. Sanders dropped out, facing resounding losses on Super Tuesday and other primary contests in states he historically performed well in, such as Ohio and Wisconsin.
Biden enjoys the support from celebrities and Democratic icons such as first lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton, all of whom have pledged to work tirelessly to get him a victory in November.
“Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head,” former first lady Michelle Obama said Monday. “He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.”
