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N the Red
February 2021
Presidential pathway Historical moments result in Biden, Harris administration Grace Mossing
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mossigra000@hsestudents.org
fter a culmination of events leading to their rise in power, President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office on Jan. 20, 2021. From beginning to end, this political year was marked with historical moments worth highlighting.
Nomination On April 8, 2020, Biden became the Democratic nominee after candidate Bernie Sanders dropped out on Super Tuesday. When searching for a Vice President, Biden chose to only look at women and ended up choosing past opponent, Harris, as his running mate on Aug. 11, 2020.
Debates With the COVID-19 pandemic, only three debates took place before the election: two presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate. Citizens who watched these debates were split between appallment or support of these debates. “I didn’t like how they were moderated,” senior Catie Laverty said. “It was either leaning Republican or leaning Democrat, and I was upset with both candidates not letting the other one speak. They kept cutting each other off, so I felt like there wasn’t time to learn anything.” The first presidential debate was defined by interruptions by both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, resulting in the Debate Commission’s decision to mute microphones at the second presidential debate. Freshman Casey Alexander supported this decision as he believed that it made them more comprehensible. “With interruptions, it becomes less about who can get their policies out and more about who can interrupt the most and who is the loudest,” Alexander said. “It’s kind of like a third grade classroom.”
Election Day The presidential election looked different this year with widespread mail-in voting as well as early voting. While both happen in normal election years, they were much more popular this year as people wished to avoid close spaces so as to not contract COVID-19. “Mail-in voting was a positive method that should be looked upon and expanded moving forward,” sophomore Sarai Parks said. “It provided a safe way for people to vote during the pandemic. Not only did it help with that, but it helped reduce the disenfranchisement of people of color while voting.” Nonetheless, there was some opposition to mail-in voting. Concerns ranged from worries of fraud to votes being lost in the mail. On November 7, the election was finally called with major news stations such as Fox News, CNN, and CBS calling Pennsylvania for Biden in the electoral college, getting him to the 270 votes necessary to claim the presidency. Citizens who were apprehensive of mail-in voting, including Trump, claimed the win illegitimate.
Graphic by Grace Mossing.
