Joe Biden has clinched the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, becoming the official 2020 pick alongside running mate Kamala Harris after emerging from a crowded primary field.
Though Biden was the only Democratic candidate left in the running after facing off with nearly rivals during the primary, he formally seized the nomination on the second night of the party’s national convention on Tuesday, selected in a virtual roll call vote by delegations from 57 states and territories.
“Thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart. It means the world to me and my family, and I’ll see you on Thursday,” Biden said in a brief acceptance speech after his nomination.
A number of Biden’s former primary opponents appeared by video to endorse his nomination, including ex-South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. Though Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race in April, the self-avowed socialist secured a number of delegate votes as well, with his supporters hoping to influence the party’s platform.
Typically held in a large arena before thousands of cheering party members, this year’s nomination was a stark break from tradition, with the pandemic forcing the event to be held electronically, along with the party’s entire four-day convention.
The Republican nomination ceremony is slated for next week at the White House, where President Donald Trump said he will give his acceptance speech, also to a virtual audience. “It’s a place that makes me feel good, it makes the country feel good,” the president told the New York Post, referring to the White House.
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