Maryland Officials Elated, Exhale with Biden-Harris Victory!
By Doni Glover, www.bmorenews.com
(BALTIMORE - November 10, 2020) - The entire world finally exhales as President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, take the reign of a country already imploding under the weight of COVID-19. America is worse off than any country on earth with one million new infections. Nonetheless, pandemic or not, that did not stop people from celebrating all across the world as Pres. Donald Trump received a political shellacking. Many Marylanders were particularly excited.
“I’m elated by the results,” said Jake Oliver, former publisher of the Afro-American Newspaper.
“I’m disappointed but not surprised by the person currently in the White House,” he added. Oliver said he just hopes “we can get through the January 20th Inauguration Ceremony without the country falling into Civil War.”
In 2016, Trump pulled 62,984,828 votes and 304 in the Electoral College. Hillary Clinton garnered more popular votes – 65,853,514 but only 227 Electoral votes.
This time around saw a record-breaking number of votes in a heavily divided nation. The latest count is Biden 290 Electoral votes to Trump’s 214. Biden won over half the popular vote (50.8%) with 76,343,332 votes to Trump’s 47.5% or 71,444,567.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson told Bmorenews, “The election of President-Elect Biden and the historic election of Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris is exciting and energizing.”
Harris will be the first female Vice President of the United States, the first African American, the first Asian American and the first Caribbean American to hold the post in U.S. history. She will also be the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history.
The 44th district Baltimore Senator added, “There is much work that needs to be done, and they’re the ones who are the right leaders at the right time. I genuinely have hope that somehow, someway we will begin the hard journey of building a more unified future. One that's focused on the potential of all of us. We can and we must.”
Delegate Darryl Barnes, Chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus who represents the 25th District in Prince George’s County, said of the recent election, “I think the people spoke; we need to get the current President out.”
Moving forward, Barnes stated that the “most important thing I want to see is who Pres.-elect Biden’s cabinet picks are and what difference they might make.” He continued, “What power will Kamala Harris have?”
When it comes to former Georgia Congresswoman Stacey Abrams, the Chairman said, “I think he has to look out for her because she was integral in pulling in the votes there in Georgia. Clearly, she has to be high on that list.”
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy said, “This election signals a return to decency and the rule of law, but we must continue to organize and fight for criminal justice reform, equity in education and wealth, access to healthcare and many other issues.”
She added, “There are battles ahead in Congress and at the State and local levels, so we must continue to stay ready.”
Baltimore State Senator Cory V. McCray highlighted the Black woman-factor. He said, “During this historic moment, our country was able to see firsthand the collective power of Black women.”
He added, “We know the determination and drive that guides Black women, and this election brought the point to our collective consciousness. I am excited for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris. My hope is that the appointments, policies, and executive orders translate into gainful wins for the communities that showed up for them and secured their victory in the general election.
Prince George’s County Delegate Derrick Davis, too, praised Black women. “I’m thrilled for women, in general,” stated.
He said, “For so long, she has been the backbone of our families and the Democratic Party. To see an Adrienne Jones as the Speaker of the House in Maryland, to see Kamala Harris as Vice President is simply phenomenal. Conversely, to see people suppress the right to vote – votes that were postmarked by the deadline … now, that’s a problem! I get wanting to win, but when you want to win so badly that you suppress the vote – that is unacceptable! This takes us back to the days of poll taxes. It’s a modern day version of the same thing. At the end of the day, you want to count all votes.”
Davis said all eyes are on the US Senate races in Georgia on January 5th. He also said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is going to do everything, otherwise, in his power to make Biden a one-term President.
In Georgia, David Perdue (R) will run-off against Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D) will run-off against Kelly Loeffler (R). These two races in Georgia will decide which party controls the Senate and heavily impact Biden’s ability to push his agenda.
Warnock, a graduate of the esteemed Morehouse College, was an assistant pastor at New York City’s Abyssinian Baptist Church and senior pastor at Baltimore’s own Douglas Memorial Community Church.
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