PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: NEW BEGINNINGS
By Sarah Hurley
On January 20, 2021, our new President and Vice President were sworn into office. Joseph Biden became the 46th President of the United States.
Joe Biden’s History
Joseph Biden was born on November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Throughout his childhood, he attended different Catholic schools, where he struggled with his grades. He eventually attended the University of Delaware and graduated in 1965 with a degree in history and political science. Biden furthered his education at Syracuse University. He graduated in 1968 with a law degree.
While at Syracuse University, Biden met Neilia Hunter. The two got married in 1966 and had three children together. Unfortunately, right before Biden became a United States Senator, his wife Neilia and their one-year-old daughter Naomi passed away in a car crash. Biden’s sons, Hunter and Beau, were severely injured, but survived. Because of this, he took the train to work every day, so that he could spend more time with his sons.
From 1973 to 2009, Biden served in the United States Senate. Throughout his 36 years working there, he spent eight years on the Judiciary Committee and four years on the Foreign Relations Committee. Biden continuously fought for peaceful foreign policies and stricter crime laws. In 1987, he decided to run for President of the United States, but he dropped out shortly after because of terrible headaches. While at the doctor, it was discovered that Biden had severe brain aneurysms. After his successful surgery, he decided to return to the Senate.
In 2007, Barack Obama chose Biden to be his running mate. When the two won the campaign, Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States and Joseph Biden became the 47th Vice President. The two won the presidency again in 2012.
Outside of the political sphere, Biden married Jill Tracey in 1977. The two had one daughter together. Biden faced another tragedy in 2015 when his son Beau died from brain cancer.
On April 25, 2019, Biden announced that he was running for President in 2020. He eventually chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. Together, the two won the election and become the 46th President and 49th Vice President of the United States.
Kamala Harris’ History
For the first time in history, a woman became the Vice President of the United States.
Born on October 20, 1964, Kamala Harris grew up in Oakland, California. Harris’s parents divorced when she was only seven years old. When Harris was twelve, she moved to Quebec, Canada with her mother and sister. During her time there, Harris attended Westmount High School. She eventually moved back to the United States to further her education at Howard University. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Then, in 1989, Harris earned her Juris Doctor degree after enrolling at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Harris’s career began in 1990 when she worked as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, in California. In 1998, she became the managing attorney of the Career Criminal Unit. Finally, in 2000, Harris had the opportunity to work as the chief of San Francisco’s Community and Neighborhood Division.
In 2010, Harris defeated District Attorney Steve Cooley. Because of this, she became the first African American and the first woman to serve as District Attorney in California. While there, Harris led a successful lawsuit against Corinthian Colleges.
Through her career, Harris met lawyer Doug Emhoff. The two were married in 2014, and Harris became the stepmother of his two children, Ella and Cole.
Eventually, Harris decided that she wanted to run for Senate. In November 2016, Harris won against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. She became the second African American woman and the first South Asian American to serve in the Senate. Harris joined the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Select Committee on Intelligence, Judiciary Committee, and the Budget Committee.
On January 21, 2019, Kamala Harris announced that she was going to run for president in 2020. Many criticized her healthcare plan and her record as a California attorney general. In December 2019, Harris ended her presidential campaign and dropped out of the election.
Joseph Biden announced that he would choose Harris to run as his Vice President. When Biden won the presidency on November 7, 2020, Harris became the first female Vice President. She is also the first African and Asian American to hold this position.