usatoday--2020-11-07--Children can pick up on our 'anxieties and worries' about election: Here's how to talk to them about

While parents watch the electoral map , children watch their parents .
They 've observed how the adults around them talk about the election .
They 've been paying attention to whether or not family members voted and whom they voted for .
They 've been listening to how the adults discuss democracy , civility , their neighbors and one another .
As uncertainty about the outcome of the presidential election looms , many voters are fearful and stressed , and the children are watching again .
`` Kids can pick up on your anxieties and worries , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care innovation at the American Psychological Association .
`` There ’ s no need to embellish or make statements beyond what we know currently , which is that there is uncertainty about when a winner will be announced , but it will happen at some point . ''
The moment offers an opportunity to talk to children not only about one of the most consequential elections in history but also about values .
USA TODAY spoke with Wright , Nancy Deutsch , a professor of education at the University of Virginia , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of psychology training in the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children ’ s Hospital Colorado , on how to talk to children about election night , the morning after and what lies ahead .
Be as direct as possible , focus on what your children are feeling Glover said the best way for families to talk about the election is to be as direct as possible , while handing the microphone to the kids .
`` They will actually feel more worried and upset when parents and adults ignore talking to them about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she said .
To Glover , the easiest way to start the conversation is to ask : What have you heard , and how do you feel about it ?
Mistakes many parents make include focusing on their own emotions in an unproductive way , vilifying the `` other side '' or not resolving arguments – which , Glover said , fails to give children the tools to cope , disagree or regulate their emotions .
By allowing kids to lead the discussion and see how to come to agreements , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a healthy way .
The election is a perfect opportunity to help kids become more familiar with structures of government , the rules of voting and the Electoral College .
`` Using developmentally appropriate language based on their age , explain how voting in the U.S. works and the circumstances that make this year different – for example , the pandemic causing more people to vote by mail , '' Wright said .
Deutsch suggested talking with children about `` systemic racism and sexism – who is represented and who is not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role as parents is to raise civically engaged and civically minded people , and an election is a great time to introduce some civics lessons into our family conversations . ''
George Floyd .
Ahmaud Arbery .
Breonna Taylor : What do we tell our children ?
Deutsch said discussions about politics can be a good way of affirming family values .
Talk to your kids about what you as a family care about and how those values are reflected in different policies that politicians support .
`` For example , if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates doing to protect the environment in terms of the policies they propose and support ?
If we care about racial justice and systemic racism , what have candidates done and said that would help promote racial equity through governmental policies ? ''
Deutsch asked .
Children are growing up with far more news sources than their parents .
It 's important , experts said , they learn how to think about what constitutes credible information .
Deutsch said parents can help `` our kids critically examine information and seek out reliable news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn the difference between reporting and opinion and how to judge the quality and validity of information on social media or a news outlet .
As social media becomes a platform for more people to share their political views , Glover said , parents and children can learn about having safe discussions and disagreements in online formats .
Wright said it 's important to validate feelings your child may have about the election , especially if your family 's candidate loses .
`` Explain that disappointment ... is normal and can include a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sadness , grief and fear , '' Wright said .
`` Tell them it ’ s OK to feel these feelings and not to judge them . ''
For families who may feel their safety is at risk , it 's important kids know the adults have a safety plan .
`` Make sure that your kid has ways to process anxiety and worry if they are expressing that and that you can talk to them about what networks of support you and your family have if they are concerned about what may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go one way or another , '' Deutsch said .
Parents should assure kids that no matter what the outcome , the family will continue to live their values and work toward a world that reflects them .
`` Whatever the results of an election , whether or not they go the way we may have personally hoped , there is always work to be done in making the world a better place , and we can think about ways that we will do that together as a family , '' Deutsch said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics-based conversations regularly – even outside election season – so the topics seem more approachable during stressful times .
`` Kids worry about talking about things that are uncomfortable or difficult because they do n't have the space to do it , '' she said .
`` I think we all can improve on that . ''
Especially during uncertain elections , she said , it 's important to take breaks – and recognize what 's in the family 's control .
`` We all need additional support right now to be resilient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` This is a time that families can really start thinking about , 'What is it that we can control , and what is it that we can actually do ? '
and let go of these larger things that certainly impact us , but there 's nothing that we can do but wait . ''

Children can pick up on our 'anxieties and worries' about election: Here's how to talk to them about voting and politics
Show Caption Hide Caption How a contentious election affects a peaceful transition of power What history has shown us about contested elections and peaceful transitions of power. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
While parents watch the electoral map, children watch their parents.
They've observed how the adults around them talk about the election. They've been paying attention to whether or not family members voted and whom they voted for. They've been listening to how the adults discuss democracy, civility, their neighbors and one another.
As uncertainty about the outcome of the presidential election looms, many voters are fearful and stressed, and the children are watching again.
"Kids can pick up on your anxieties and worries," said Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association. "There’s no need to embellish or make statements beyond what we know currently, which is that there is uncertainty about when a winner will be announced, but it will happen at some point."
The moment offers an opportunity to talk to children not only about one of the most consequential elections in history but also about values.
USA TODAY spoke with Wright, Nancy Deutsch, a professor of education at the University of Virginia, and Jenna Glover, child psychologist and director of psychology training in the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado, on how to talk to children about election night, the morning after and what lies ahead.
Be as direct as possible , focus on what your children are feeling
Glover said the best way for families to talk about the election is to be as direct as possible, while handing the microphone to the kids.
"They will actually feel more worried and upset when parents and adults ignore talking to them about it, rather than addressing it head-on," she said.
To Glover, the easiest way to start the conversation is to ask: What have you heard, and how do you feel about it?
Mistakes many parents make include focusing on their own emotions in an unproductive way, vilifying the "other side" or not resolving arguments – which, Glover said, fails to give children the tools to cope, disagree or regulate their emotions. By allowing kids to lead the discussion and see how to come to agreements, they can navigate what they feel in a healthy way.
A teaching moment
The election is a perfect opportunity to help kids become more familiar with structures of government, the rules of voting and the Electoral College.
"Using developmentally appropriate language based on their age, explain how voting in the U.S. works and the circumstances that make this year different – for example, the pandemic causing more people to vote by mail," Wright said.
Deutsch suggested talking with children about "systemic racism and sexism – who is represented and who is not in our governmental structures. Part of our role as parents is to raise civically engaged and civically minded people, and an election is a great time to introduce some civics lessons into our family conversations."
George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor: What do we tell our children?
A good time to talk about values
Deutsch said discussions about politics can be a good way of affirming family values. Talk to your kids about what you as a family care about and how those values are reflected in different policies that politicians support.
"For example, if we care about the environment, what are candidates doing to protect the environment in terms of the policies they propose and support? If we care about racial justice and systemic racism, what have candidates done and said that would help promote racial equity through governmental policies?" Deutsch asked.
Developing news literacy and online dialogue
Children are growing up with far more news sources than their parents. It's important, experts said, they learn how to think about what constitutes credible information.
Deutsch said parents can help "our kids critically examine information and seek out reliable news sources."
They'll want to learn the difference between reporting and opinion and how to judge the quality and validity of information on social media or a news outlet.
As social media becomes a platform for more people to share their political views, Glover said, parents and children can learn about having safe discussions and disagreements in online formats.
Watch: Could a contentious election affect a peaceful transition of power?
If your candidate doesn't win...
Wright said it's important to validate feelings your child may have about the election, especially if your family's candidate loses.
"Explain that disappointment ... is normal and can include a variety of feelings such as anger, sadness, grief and fear," Wright said. "Tell them it’s OK to feel these feelings and not to judge them."
For families who may feel their safety is at risk, it's important kids know the adults have a safety plan.
"Make sure that your kid has ways to process anxiety and worry if they are expressing that and that you can talk to them about what networks of support you and your family have if they are concerned about what may happen to them or you if results go one way or another," Deutsch said.
Parents should assure kids that no matter what the outcome, the family will continue to live their values and work toward a world that reflects them.
"Whatever the results of an election, whether or not they go the way we may have personally hoped, there is always work to be done in making the world a better place, and we can think about ways that we will do that together as a family," Deutsch said.
Plan regular check-ins
Glover stressed the need to have politics-based conversations regularly – even outside election season – so the topics seem more approachable during stressful times.
"Kids worry about talking about things that are uncomfortable or difficult because they don't have the space to do it," she said. "I think we all can improve on that."
Especially during uncertain elections, she said, it's important to take breaks – and recognize what's in the family's control.
"We all need additional support right now to be resilient in this time," she said. "This is a time that families can really start thinking about, 'What is it that we can control, and what is it that we can actually do?' and let go of these larger things that certainly impact us, but there's nothing that we can do but wait."
Contributing: Wyatte Grantham-Philips


usatoday--2020-11-07--5 books not to miss: Megan Rapinoe's 'One Life,' new Danielle Evans short story collection

In search of something good to read ?
USA TODAY 's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week ’ s hottest new book releases .
What it ’ s about : The Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women ’ s World Cup champion is also an activist icon and tireless fighter for LGBTQ rights .
She shares her story , and in so doing urges readers to stand up for justice and equality .
The buzz : “ Rapinoe ’ s passion for inclusion and equality shines throughout this appealing book , and her hard-won take on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t to be missed , ” says Publishers Weekly .
2 .
“ The Office of Historical Corrections , ” by Danielle Evans ( Riverhead , fiction , on sale Nov. 10 ) What it ’ s about : The award-winning author of “ Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self ” releases a hotly anticipated new story collection , exploring the subjects of race , American history and grief with her signature insight .
The buzz : A ★★★★ ( out of four ) review for USA TODAY calls the new collection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s certain to thrust her into the top tier of American short story writers.
” 3 .
“ We Keep the Dead Close , ” by Becky Cooper ( Grand Central , nonfiction , on sale Nov. 10 ) What it ’ s about : In 1969 , 23-year-old Harvard graduate student Jane Britton was found bludgeoned to death in her Cambridge , Massachusetts , apartment in a murder that long went unsolved .
This true-crime opus keeps the victim centered , reflecting on a young life lost .
The buzz : A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ an engrossing , monumental work.
” What it ’ s about : The author of “ Motherless Brooklyn ” and “ The Fortress of Solitude ” turns postapocalyptic , imagining a world in which television , computers , airplanes and all the modern conveniences we take for granted are wiped out by a major disaster called the Arrest .
The buzz : “ As a writer gifted at playing with genre forms and riffing on popular culture , ( Lethem ) enjoys tweaking dystopian-novel conventions , ” says a ★★★ review for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Principles : What America 's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country , ” by Thomas E. Ricks ( Harper , nonfiction , on sale Nov. 10 ) What it ’ s about : Ricks seeks to answer the questions : “ What kind of nation do we have now ?
Is this what was designed or intended by the nation ’ s founders ?
” The buzz : “ Ricks masterfully documents how examples of city states like Athens and the Roman Republic ( before Julius @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … Founding Fathers and their fellow travelers , ” says a ★★★ review for USA TODAY .

5 books not to miss: Megan Rapinoe's 'One Life,' new Danielle Evans short story collection
In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases.
1. “One Life,” by Megan Rapinoe (Penguin Press, nonfiction, on sale Nov. 10)
What it’s about: The Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion is also an activist icon and tireless fighter for LGBTQ rights. She shares her story, and in so doing urges readers to stand up for justice and equality.
The buzz: “Rapinoe’s passion for inclusion and equality shines throughout this appealing book, and her hard-won take on the intersection of sports and activism isn’t to be missed,” says Publishers Weekly.
2. “The Office of Historical Corrections,” by Danielle Evans (Riverhead, fiction, on sale Nov. 10)
What it’s about: The award-winning author of “Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self” releases a hotly anticipated new story collection, exploring the subjects of race, American history and grief with her signature insight.
The buzz: A ★★★★ (out of four) review for USA TODAY calls the new collection “so smart and self-assured it’s certain to thrust her into the top tier of American short story writers.”
3. “We Keep the Dead Close,” by Becky Cooper (Grand Central, nonfiction, on sale Nov. 10)
What it’s about: In 1969, 23-year-old Harvard graduate student Jane Britton was found bludgeoned to death in her Cambridge, Massachusetts, apartment in a murder that long went unsolved. This true-crime opus keeps the victim centered, reflecting on a young life lost.
The buzz: A ★★★½ review for USA TODAY calls it “an engrossing, monumental work.”
4. “The Arrest,” by Jonathan Lethem (Ecco, fiction, on sale Nov. 10)
What it’s about: The author of “Motherless Brooklyn” and “The Fortress of Solitude” turns postapocalyptic, imagining a world in which television, computers, airplanes and all the modern conveniences we take for granted are wiped out by a major disaster called the Arrest.
The buzz: “As a writer gifted at playing with genre forms and riffing on popular culture, (Lethem) enjoys tweaking dystopian-novel conventions,” says a ★★★ review for USA TODAY.
5. “First Principles: What America's Founders Learned From the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country,” by Thomas E. Ricks (Harper, nonfiction, on sale Nov. 10)
What it’s about: Ricks seeks to answer the questions: “What kind of nation do we have now? Is this what was designed or intended by the nation’s founders?”
The buzz: “Ricks masterfully documents how examples of city-states like Athens and the Roman Republic (before Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon) informed the … Founding Fathers and their fellow travelers,” says a ★★★ review for USA TODAY.


usatoday--2020-11-07--Counties other than Fulton make big difference for Joe Biden in Georgia election results

SAVANNAH , Ga. – If Joe Biden wins Georgia ’ s electoral votes in the presidential race , can Augusta-Richmond County take credit for helping push him over the razor ’ s edge ?
But so could Savannah ’ s Chatham County , Clayton County and any number of smaller Democratic strongholds throughout the Peach State .
“ Any one of these counties could say , ‘ But for us , Trump would be ahead , ’ ” said Charles Bullock , a University of Georgia political science professor who has studied Georgia politics for decades .
Although votes won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – and thousands of military and provisional ballots have yet to be counted – totals from Richmond , Chatham and Clayton have been overwhelmingly Democratic .
Too close to call : Georgia will recount votes for president , secretary of state says All eyes were initially on metro Atlanta ’ s Fulton and DeKalb counties .
But late results from Clayton and Chatham counties , the latter of which sparked a lawsuit from President Donald Trump ’ s campaign and the former giving Biden the lead early Friday , could provide Biden with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What I would guess would be the case is that the last votes which are coming in – partly because of Trump dissuading Republicans from voting absentee – are probably running higher Democratic as a percentage , ” Bullock said .
As of Friday afternoon , Biden was ahead of Trump in Georgia by just over 4,100 votes .
According to the Georgia secretary of state , Biden took 67.8 % of the vote in Richmond County , 58.6 % in Chatham and a whopping 84.9 % in Clayton .
Indeed , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Fulton and DeKalb that helped push Biden ahead , it was the south metro county of Clayton – an oft-overlooked but heavily Democratic community of 290,000 people .
“ Obviously , we played a pivotal role , ” Clayton County Commission Chairman Jeff Turner said .
“ We were the spark that got Georgia turning blue .
...
If Trump loses , we just need to be prepared to vacate ( the White House ) , but if he wins at least we know it was a fair and thorough process.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African Americans – 55.2 % in Richmond , 39.4 % in Chatham and 67.7 % in Clayton – who have historically voted Democratic .
“ Here in Richmond County , it ’ s a minority-majority county , so we were never anticipating we would carry the county , ” Richmond County Republican Party Chairwoman Sherry Barnes said .
Richmond County , the most populous and urbanized county in metro Augusta , has been a Democratic stronghold for decades .
Suburban Columbia County , in comparison , overwhelmingly votes Republican and is 76 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the smaller cities is what is happening in metro Atlanta on a smaller scale , ” Bullock said .
“ As you move out into the further suburban ring , that ’ s where you find Republicans.
” Blacks make up approximately 12 % of the electorate .
Although Trump ’ s support among black voters has increased over the 2016 election – 8 % compared to 6 % , according to AP VoteCast – the gain made little difference in the heavily African-American counties .
“ We rallied , ” Clayton County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We purchased billboards .
We told people go out and vote like you ’ ve never voted before.
” Clayton County was a Republican stronghold until demographic changes in the 1990s and early 2000s shifted county politics from red to blue .
“ We are a majority African American community but we have several different cultures that reside here , which makes us a pretty strong Democratic county , ” Turner said of the county , which once was represented by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis , a vocal Trump critic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind other Georgia counties , which Turner said was caused by poll watchers who were “ a little disruptive ” with questioning during the vote-counting process election night .
Results reported from Chatham County , the population center of the Savannah metro area , cut Trump ’ s late lead in Georgia by half .
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson , one of seven Georgia members of the Democratic National Committee , noted the big difference between the 2016 election and this year ’ s as a “ huge pendulum swing.
” He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ variety of factors and not just party.
” “ Although Savannah is blue and a lot of our candidates benefited from down-ballot voting , I also believe that across the board we really saw people looking at a paradigm shift in ideologies , ” Johnson said .
“ There were Republicans that voted for Democratic candidates at the top of the ticket , and they are still Republicans , but in these remarkable times they are more open in considering the totality of the person and not just the party they represent.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Voters in civil rights icon 's district help put Biden over the top in Georgia Richmond County Democratic Party Chairman Jordan Johnson attributes the county ’ s huge turnout to the party focusing its attention on politically disengaged but otherwise Democratic-minded residents .
“ We have given up on trying to rekindle this relationship with people who left the Democratic Party , ” Johnson said .
“ What we have seen this time around is an influx of young voters in places like Richmond and Chatham counties , folks who were not able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – whether they were incarcerated , fresh out of high school or couldn ’ t get to the polls – and get them registered and get them engaged.
” Chatham County Democratic Committee Chairman James “ Jay ” Jones said that while Chatham has been a reliable bastion of support for Democrats over the past two decades , a heightened drive to cooperate with state- and national-level Democratic organizations helped solidify the county ’ s blue status in 2020 .
“ We ’ re now collaborating with the Democratic Party of Georgia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Jones said .
“ This is going to continue.
” In addition to this year ’ s efforts by Chatham Democrats to strengthen their partnerships , the county ’ s rapid population growth in recent years also played a role in this election ’ s leftward trend locally , according to Chatham County Democratic Committee Vice Chairman Aaron “ Adot ” Whitely .
“ People from New York , California are relocating here , ” Whitely said , adding that Chatham ’ s relatively large population increases the county ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are a big player in Georgia turning blue.
” However , Whitely believes many Chatham County Republicans switched sides just for this election because of a distaste for the Trump presidency , and thus Democrats should not take 2020 voting trends for granted .
“ That doesn ’ t mean that the work is done .
There are plenty of Republicans that voted for Joe Biden just for a return to normalcy , ” Whitely said .

Damon Cline and Adam Van Brimmer, Savannah Morning News

Counties other than Fulton make big difference for Joe Biden in Georgia election results
Show Caption Hide Caption Biden moves ahead of Trump in Georgia Democrat Joe Biden took a 917 vote lead over President Donald Trump in the battleground state of Georgia early Friday morning. The contest is still too early for The Associated Press to call and thousands of ballots are left to be counted. (Nov. 6) AP
SAVANNAH, Ga. – If Joe Biden wins Georgia’s electoral votes in the presidential race, can Augusta-Richmond County take credit for helping push him over the razor’s edge?
Yes.
But so could Savannah’s Chatham County, Clayton County and any number of smaller Democratic strongholds throughout the Peach State.
“Any one of these counties could say, ‘But for us, Trump would be ahead,’” said Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political science professor who has studied Georgia politics for decades.
Although votes won’t be officially certified until Tuesday – and thousands of military and provisional ballots have yet to be counted – totals from Richmond, Chatham and Clayton have been overwhelmingly Democratic.
Too close to call: Georgia will recount votes for president, secretary of state says
All eyes were initially on metro Atlanta’s Fulton and DeKalb counties. But late results from Clayton and Chatham counties, the latter of which sparked a lawsuit from President Donald Trump’s campaign and the former giving Biden the lead early Friday, could provide Biden with a pivotal 16 electoral votes.
“What I would guess would be the case is that the last votes which are coming in – partly because of Trump dissuading Republicans from voting absentee – are probably running higher Democratic as a percentage,” Bullock said.
As of Friday afternoon, Biden was ahead of Trump in Georgia by just over 4,100 votes.
According to the Georgia secretary of state, Biden took 67.8% of the vote in Richmond County, 58.6% in Chatham and a whopping 84.9% in Clayton.
Indeed, it wasn’t the Atlanta population centers of Fulton and DeKalb that helped push Biden ahead, it was the south metro county of Clayton – an oft-overlooked but heavily Democratic community of 290,000 people.
“Obviously, we played a pivotal role,” Clayton County Commission Chairman Jeff Turner said. “We were the spark that got Georgia turning blue. ... If Trump loses, we just need to be prepared to vacate (the White House), but if he wins at least we know it was a fair and thorough process.”
All three counties have large percentages of African Americans – 55.2% in Richmond, 39.4% in Chatham and 67.7% in Clayton – who have historically voted Democratic.
“Here in Richmond County, it’s a minority-majority county, so we were never anticipating we would carry the county,” Richmond County Republican Party Chairwoman Sherry Barnes said.
Richmond County, the most populous and urbanized county in metro Augusta, has been a Democratic stronghold for decades. Suburban Columbia County, in comparison, overwhelmingly votes Republican and is 76% white.
“What you see in the smaller cities is what is happening in metro Atlanta on a smaller scale,” Bullock said. “As you move out into the further suburban ring, that’s where you find Republicans.”
Blacks make up approximately 12% of the electorate. Although Trump’s support among black voters has increased over the 2016 election – 8% compared to 6%, according to AP VoteCast – the gain made little difference in the heavily African-American counties.
“We rallied,” Clayton County Democratic Party Chairman Larry Bussey said. “We purchased billboards. We told people go out and vote like you’ve never voted before.”
Clayton County was a Republican stronghold until demographic changes in the 1990s and early 2000s shifted county politics from red to blue.
“We are a majority African American community but we have several different cultures that reside here, which makes us a pretty strong Democratic county,” Turner said of the county, which once was represented by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a vocal Trump critic.
Clayton County’s results lagged behind other Georgia counties, which Turner said was caused by poll watchers who were “a little disruptive” with questioning during the vote-counting process election night.
Results reported from Chatham County, the population center of the Savannah metro area, cut Trump’s late lead in Georgia by half.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, one of seven Georgia members of the Democratic National Committee, noted the big difference between the 2016 election and this year’s as a “huge pendulum swing.”
He said he believes voters this year evaluated a “variety of factors and not just party.”
“Although Savannah is blue and a lot of our candidates benefited from down-ballot voting, I also believe that across the board we really saw people looking at a paradigm shift in ideologies,” Johnson said. “There were Republicans that voted for Democratic candidates at the top of the ticket, and they are still Republicans, but in these remarkable times they are more open in considering the totality of the person and not just the party they represent.”
'John Lewis is smiling': Voters in civil rights icon's district help put Biden over the top in Georgia
Richmond County Democratic Party Chairman Jordan Johnson attributes the county’s huge turnout to the party focusing its attention on politically disengaged but otherwise Democratic-minded residents.
“We have given up on trying to rekindle this relationship with people who left the Democratic Party,” Johnson said. “What we have seen this time around is an influx of young voters in places like Richmond and Chatham counties, folks who were not able to vote in 2016 for whatever reason – whether they were incarcerated, fresh out of high school or couldn’t get to the polls – and get them registered and get them engaged.”
Chatham County Democratic Committee Chairman James “Jay” Jones said that while Chatham has been a reliable bastion of support for Democrats over the past two decades, a heightened drive to cooperate with state- and national-level Democratic organizations helped solidify the county’s blue status in 2020.
“We’re now collaborating with the Democratic Party of Georgia and the DNC (Democratic National Convention),” Jones said. “This is going to continue.”
In addition to this year’s efforts by Chatham Democrats to strengthen their partnerships, the county’s rapid population growth in recent years also played a role in this election’s leftward trend locally, according to Chatham County Democratic Committee Vice Chairman Aaron “Adot” Whitely.
“People from New York, California are relocating here,” Whitely said, adding that Chatham’s relatively large population increases the county’s tendency to support Democratic candidates. “We are a big player in Georgia turning blue.”
However, Whitely believes many Chatham County Republicans switched sides just for this election because of a distaste for the Trump presidency, and thus Democrats should not take 2020 voting trends for granted.
“That doesn’t mean that the work is done. There are plenty of Republicans that voted for Joe Biden just for a return to normalcy,” Whitely said.


usatoday--2020-11-07--Joe Biden spoke about how Americans 'chose change over more of the same'

Joe Biden spoke about how Americans 'chose change over more of the same' Joe Biden spoke to his supporters in @ @ @ @ @ Americans `` want the country to come together and not be pulled apart . ''

Election 2020: Biden says record number of Americans 'chose change'
Joe Biden spoke to his supporters in Wilmington, Delaware about how Americans "want the country to come together and not be pulled apart."
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-11-08--Read the transcript of what Joe Biden said in his first speech as president-elect

Victory Speech as Prepared for Delivery by President-elect Joe Biden My fellow Americans , the people of this nation have spoken .
They have delivered us a clear victory .
A convincing victory .
We have won with the most votes ever cast for a presidential ticket in the history of this nation — 74 million .
I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me .
I pledge to be a President who seeks not to divide , but to unify .
Who doesn ’ t see Red and Blue states , but a United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all my heart to win the confidence of the whole people .
For that is what America is about : The people .
And that is what our Administration will be about .
I sought this office to restore the soul of America .
To rebuild the backbone of the nation — the middle class .
To make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home .
It is the honor of my lifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for this vision .
And now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the task of our time .
As I said many times before , I ’ m Jill ’ s husband .
I would not be here without the love and tireless support of Jill , Hunter , Ashley , all of our grandchildren and their spouses , and all our family .
They are my heart .
She has dedicated her life to education , but teaching isn ’ t just what she does — it ’ s who she is .
For America ’ s educators , this is a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have one of your own in the White House , and Jill is going to make a great First Lady .
And I will be honored to be serving with a fantastic vice president — Kamala Harris — who will make history as the first woman , first Black woman , first woman of South Asian descent , and first daughter of immigrants ever elected to national office in this country .
It ’ s long overdue , and we ’ re reminded tonight of all those who fought so hard for so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But once again , America has bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice .
Kamala , Doug — like it or not — you ’ re family .
You ’ ve become honorary Bidens and there ’ s no way out .
To all those who volunteered , worked the polls in the middle of this pandemic , local election officials — you deserve a special thanks from this nation .
To my campaign team , and all the volunteers , to all those who gave so much of themselves to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you everything .
And to all those who supported us : I am proud of the campaign we built and ran .
I am proud of the coalition we put together , the broadest and most diverse in history .
And especially for those moments when this campaign was at its lowest — the African American community stood up again for me .
They always have my back , and I ’ ll have yours .
I said from the outset I wanted a campaign that represented America , and I think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I want the administration to look like .
And to those who voted for President Trump , I understand your disappointment tonight .
But now , let ’ s give each other a chance .
It ’ s time to put away the harsh rhetoric .
To see each other again .
To listen to each other again .
To make progress , we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy .
We are not enemies .
We are Americans .
The Bible tells us that to everything there is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time to reap , a time to sow .
And a time to heal .
This is the time to heal in America .
Now that the campaign is over — what is the people ’ s will ?
What is our mandate ?
I believe it is this : Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness .
To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time .
The battle to control the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s health care .
The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country .
The battle to save the climate .
The battle to restore decency , defend democracy , and give everybody in this country a fair shot .
Our work begins with getting COVID under control .
We can not repair the economy , restore our vitality , or relish life ’ s most precious moments — hugging a grandchild , birthdays , weddings , graduations , all the moments that matter most to us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control .
On Monday , I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as Transition Advisors to help take the Biden-Harris COVID plan and convert it into an action blueprint that starts on January 20th , 2021 .
That plan will be built on a bedrock of science .
It will be constructed out of compassion , empathy , and concern .
I will spare no effort — or commitment — to turn this pandemic around .
I ran as a proud Democrat .
I will now be an American president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who didn ’ t vote for me — as those who did .
Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end — here and now .
The refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another is not due to some mysterious force beyond our control .
And if we can decide not to cooperate , then we can decide to cooperate .
And I believe that this is part of the mandate from the American people .
They want us to cooperate .
That ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I call on the Congress — Democrats and Republicans alike — to make that choice with me .
The American story is about the slow , yet steady widening of opportunity .
Make no mistake : Too many dreams have been deferred for too long .
We must make the promise of the country real for everybody — no matter their race , their ethnicity , their faith , their identity , or their disability .
America has always been shaped by inflection points — by moments in time where we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what we want to be .
Lincoln in 1860 — coming to save the Union .
And twelve years ago — when Barack Obama made history — and told us , “ Yes , we can.
” We stand again at an inflection point .
We have the opportunity to defeat despair and to build a nation of prosperity and purpose .
We can do it .
I know we can .
I ’ ve long talked about the battle for the soul of America .
We must restore the soul of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the constant battle between our better angels and our darkest impulses .
It is time for our better angels to prevail .
Tonight , the whole world is watching America .
I believe at our best America is a beacon for the globe .
And we lead not by the example of our power , but by the power of our example .
I ’ ve always believed we can define America in one word : Possibilities .
That in America everyone should be given the opportunity to go as far as their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You see , I believe in the possibility of this country .
Ahead to an America that ’ s freer and more just .
Ahead to an America that creates jobs with dignity and respect .
Ahead to an America that cures disease — like cancer and Alzheimers .
Ahead to an America that never leaves anyone behind .
Ahead to an America that never gives up , never gives in .
And we are a good people .
This is the United States of America .
And there has never been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do when we ’ ve done it together .
In the last days of the campaign , I ’ ve been thinking about a hymn that means a lot to me and to my family , particularly my deceased son Beau .
It captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America .
And I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to the more than 230,000 families who have lost a loved one to this terrible virus this year .
My heart goes out to each and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hymn gives you solace as well .
“ And He will raise you up on eagle 's wings , Bear you on the breath of dawn , Make you to shine like the sun , And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
” And now , together — on eagle ’ s wings — we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do .
With full hearts and steady hands , with faith in America and in each other , with a love of country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let us be the nation that we know we can be .
And may God protect our troops .

Read the transcript of what Joe Biden said in his first speech as president-elect
Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden calls for unity in first address as President-elect In first address since securing the presidency, Joe Biden called for unity between all Americans. USA TODAY
Victory Speech as Prepared for Delivery by President-elect Joe Biden
My fellow Americans, the people of this nation have spoken.
They have delivered us a clear victory. A convincing victory.
A victory for “We the People.”
We have won with the most votes ever cast for a presidential ticket in the history of this nation — 74 million.
I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me.
I pledge to be a President who seeks not to divide, but to unify.
Who doesn’t see Red and Blue states, but a United States.
And who will work with all my heart to win the confidence of the whole people.
For that is what America is about: The people.
And that is what our Administration will be about.
I sought this office to restore the soul of America.
To rebuild the backbone of the nation — the middle class.
To make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home.
It is the honor of my lifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for this vision.
And now the work of making this vision real is the task of our time.
As I said many times before, I’m Jill’s husband.
I would not be here without the love and tireless support of Jill, Hunter, Ashley, all of our grandchildren and their spouses, and all our family.
They are my heart.
Jill’s a mom — a military mom — and an educator.
She has dedicated her life to education, but teaching isn’t just what she does — it’s who she is. For America’s educators, this is a great day: You’re going to have one of your own in the White House, and Jill is going to make a great First Lady.
And I will be honored to be serving with a fantastic vice president — Kamala Harris — who will make history as the first woman, first Black woman, first woman of South Asian descent, and first daughter of immigrants ever elected to national office in this country.
It’s long overdue, and we’re reminded tonight of all those who fought so hard for so many years to make this happen. But once again, America has bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice.
Kamala, Doug — like it or not — you’re family. You’ve become honorary Bidens and there’s no way out.
To all those who volunteered, worked the polls in the middle of this pandemic, local election officials — you deserve a special thanks from this nation.
To my campaign team, and all the volunteers, to all those who gave so much of themselves to make this moment possible, I owe you everything.
And to all those who supported us: I am proud of the campaign we built and ran. I am proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse in history.
Democrats, Republicans and Independents.
Progressives, moderates and conservatives.
Young and old.
Urban, suburban and rural.
Gay, straight, transgender.
White. Latino. Asian. Native American.
And especially for those moments when this campaign was at its lowest — the African American community stood up again for me. They always have my back, and I’ll have yours.
I said from the outset I wanted a campaign that represented America, and I think we did that. Now that’s what I want the administration to look like.
And to those who voted for President Trump, I understand your disappointment tonight.
I’ve lost a couple of elections myself.
But now, let’s give each other a chance.
It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric.
To lower the temperature.
To see each other again.
To listen to each other again.
To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy.
We are not enemies. We are Americans.
The Bible tells us that to everything there is a season — a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow. And a time to heal.
This is the time to heal in America.
Now that the campaign is over — what is the people’s will? What is our mandate?
I believe it is this: Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness. To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time.
The battle to control the virus.
The battle to build prosperity.
The battle to secure your family’s health care.
The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country.
The battle to save the climate.
The battle to restore decency, defend democracy, and give everybody in this country a fair shot.
Our work begins with getting COVID under control.
We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or relish life’s most precious moments — hugging a grandchild, birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us — until we get this virus under control.
On Monday, I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as Transition Advisors to help take the Biden-Harris COVID plan and convert it into an action blueprint that starts on January 20th, 2021.
That plan will be built on a bedrock of science. It will be constructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern.
I will spare no effort — or commitment — to turn this pandemic around.
I ran as a proud Democrat. I will now be an American president. I will work as hard for those who didn’t vote for me — as those who did.
Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end — here and now.
The refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another is not due to some mysterious force beyond our control.
It’s a decision. It’s a choice we make.
And if we can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide to cooperate. And I believe that this is part of the mandate from the American people. They want us to cooperate.
That’s the choice I’ll make. And I call on the Congress — Democrats and Republicans alike — to make that choice with me.
The American story is about the slow, yet steady widening of opportunity.
Make no mistake: Too many dreams have been deferred for too long.
We must make the promise of the country real for everybody — no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity, or their disability.
America has always been shaped by inflection points — by moments in time where we’ve made hard decisions about who we are and what we want to be.
Lincoln in 1860 — coming to save the Union.
FDR in 1932 — promising a beleaguered country a New Deal.
JFK in 1960 — pledging a New Frontier.
And twelve years ago — when Barack Obama made history — and told us, “Yes, we can.”
We stand again at an inflection point.
We have the opportunity to defeat despair and to build a nation of prosperity and purpose.
We can do it. I know we can.
I’ve long talked about the battle for the soul of America.
We must restore the soul of America.
Our nation is shaped by the constant battle between our better angels and our darkest impulses.
It is time for our better angels to prevail.
Tonight, the whole world is watching America. I believe at our best America is a beacon for the globe.
And we lead not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.
I’ve always believed we can define America in one word: Possibilities.
That in America everyone should be given the opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God-given ability will take them.
You see, I believe in the possibility of this country.
We’re always looking ahead.
Ahead to an America that’s freer and more just.
Ahead to an America that creates jobs with dignity and respect.
Ahead to an America that cures disease — like cancer and Alzheimers.
Ahead to an America that never leaves anyone behind.
Ahead to an America that never gives up, never gives in.
This is a great nation.
And we are a good people.
This is the United States of America.
And there has never been anything we haven’t been able to do when we’ve done it together.
In the last days of the campaign, I’ve been thinking about a hymn that means a lot to me and to my family, particularly my deceased son Beau. It captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America.
And I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to the more than 230,000 families who have lost a loved one to this terrible virus this year. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. Hopefully this hymn gives you solace as well.
“And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.”
And now, together — on eagle’s wings — we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do.
With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with a love of country — and a thirst for justice — let us be the nation that we know we can be.
A nation united.
A nation strengthened.
A nation healed.
The United States of America.
God bless you.
And may God protect our troops.


usatoday--2020-11-08--How Joe Biden flipped the electoral map and won the presidency with room to spare

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden did n't get the election night landslide Democrats desperately wanted , but he won the presidency decisively nonetheless .
It was the inverse of four years ago — only this time it was Biden expanding support in suburbs to narrowly win a handful of key states .
The outcome exposed how the United States is as an entrenched and divided nation as ever with only small differences determining the president .
After President Donald Trump Trump in 2016 famously squeaked out a win by a combined 77,000 votes in the vaunted Democratic `` blue wall '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden won back all three — carrying them collectively by slightly wider margins .
The former vice president also flipped the 2016 electoral map by taking historically red Arizona , which last voted Democrat for president in 1996 .
And he 's on the verge of narrowly winning reliably red Georgia , which last voted Democrat for president in 1992 .
Georgia 's outcome is still subject to a likely recount .
By carrying both , and winning Nevada , Biden appears poised to win by a comfortable electoral margin with 306 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's 2016 victory ( though only 304 electors voted for him when the electoral college met ) .
More : Election results update : Biden on the verge of winning presidency with leads in battlegrounds .
Georgia will have a recount .
North Carolina is still counting its late-arriving absentee ballots .
But the new inroads for Democrats elsewhere mean Biden , just like Trump in 2016 , could have lost two out of three Rust Belt states and still reached 270 electoral votes .
After his win four years ago , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landslide victory . ''
But Trump 's win looks like a squeaker compared to Biden 's when considering the popular vote .
Biden holds a popular vote lead of 74.5 million ( 50.5 % ) to 70.3 million ( 47.7 % ) as of Saturday morning .
But his lead is expected to expand considerably as more mail-in ballots , particularly in Democrat-heavy California and New York , are tabulated in the days ahead .
Leading by more than 4.3 million votes , Biden has already topped Democrat Hillary Clinton 's popular vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden 's comfortable electoral win undercuts Trump 's attempts to fight the results .
Trump has sought to delegitimize the election with baseless claims about absentee ballots in states he lost .
More : Democrats ' path to control Senate narrows as Republicans fend off key challenges Still , the razor-thin margin in a half-dozen states – and losses of Democrats elsewhere – underscores that this was n't a blue wave .
Yes , Americans rejected Trump.But falling short of the lopsided victory some polls predicted , Biden and Democrats failed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To the dismay of Democrats , Republicans in the Senate did not pay a price for their loyalty to Trump .
Democrats , heavily favored to take control of the U.S. Senate , fell short for now , although they could still reach 50 Senate seats by winning two Georgia special elections on Jan. 5 .
House Republicans , meanwhile , picked up seats that Democrats turned blue two years ago , but not enough to overcome the Democratic majority .
Stoking division further is how Biden crossed the finish-line Saturday : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were counted after Election Day .
Heading into Tuesday , election experts warned that , because mail-in ballots would heavily favor Biden , late-counted absentee ballots would provide a `` blue shift '' with the vote tally skewing his way .
While Trump 's yearlong rhetoric against mail-voting turned away his supporters , who instead were more likely to vote in person on Election Day , Democrats embraced the absentee method .
More : Some Democrats warn Trump may use 'red mirage ' to prematurely declare victory while absentee ballots are being counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three battleground states , Republican-controlled state legislatures in Wisconsin , Michigan and Pennsylvania , refused to change their state laws to allow election officials to begin processing absentee ballots weeks in advance .
As expected , Trump jumped out to early leads in all three states .
Trump seized on the unusual situation , baselessly claiming ballots popped up out of nowhere while trying to to convince his supporters the election was stolen from them .
As evidenced by protests outside election offices in Phoenix and Philadelphia , his diehards believe him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech about the election .
Here 's what we found .
For Biden , the clearest path to victory was always through the Rust Belt with wins in Wisconsin , Michigan and Pennsylvania .
He did so with a close victory , replicating the tight wins Trump pulled off in 2016 .
• Biden unofficially won Wisconsin by 20,524 votes , slightly tighter than Trump 's 2016 win the state by 22,748 votes • Biden unofficially won Michigan by 146,896 votes , considerably more than Trump 's victory by 10,704 votes • Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 34,000 votes , but it could exceed more than 100,000 as more mail-in and provisionall ballots are counted .
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 by 44,292 votes .
In almost every state , rural areas remained as committed to Trump as ever , a testament to the rural-urban divide that dominates modern American politics .
Biden secured his victory by getting the turnout he needed in cities .
It comes four years after Clinton struggled with turnout in cities in the Midwest that have large Black populations But he especially ran up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stronghold : the metro areas and suburbs around cities .
Trump warned Biden would `` destroy the beautiful suburbs , '' but voters in those communities seemed to reject that message .
To pull off the upset in Georgia , Biden got a massive boost from the suburbs around Atlanta .
Het topped Trump by around 130,000 votes in Gwinnett and Cobb counties around Atlanta , two counties that Clinton won by only a combined 26,000 votes .
More : 'The place where we put this country back on track ' : How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden got higher turnout than Clinton in the state 's biggest county , Milwaukee ( 317,251 total votes to 288,822 for Clinton ) , beating Trump by 20,000 more votes than Clinton did .
In Madison ( Dane County ) , Biden received 260,157 votes compared to 217,687 for Clinton , topping Trump by nearly 35,000 more votes .
In Michigan and Pennsylvania , Biden outperformed Clinton across the state .
In Wayne County , home of Detroit and other suburbs , Biden received 67,630 more votes than Clinton , topping Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oakland County , outside of Detroit , Biden won by a margin of 110,000 votes , while Clinton won by only 54,000 .
More : Will the Supreme Court ride to Donald Trump 's rescue ?
Do n't count on it .
Biden pummeled Trump in the suburbs near Philadelphia , winning Chester County by more than 50,000 votes while Clinton won it by 25,000 .
Biden won Delaware County over Trump by more than 81,000 votes , compared to 66,700 for Clinton .
And in Montgomery County , Biden topped Trump by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it by 93,000 votes .
The outlook in Philadelphia is not clear as thousands of mail-in ballots are still being counted .
Biden made inroads across working-class northeast Pennsylvania , maintaining some counties , flipping at least one and narrowing the margins in counties Trump won .
And he got some hometown love .
Among the counties where he outperformed Clinton was Lackawanna County , home to Scranton , where Biden was raised .
Biden won Lackawanna by more than 8 percentage points .
Clinton won it by less than 3 percentage points @

How Joe Biden flipped the electoral map and won the presidency with room to spare
Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden calls for unity in first address as President-elect In first address since securing the presidency, Joe Biden called for unity between all Americans. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden didn't get the election night landslide Democrats desperately wanted, but he won the presidency decisively nonetheless.
It was the inverse of four years ago — only this time it was Biden expanding support in suburbs to narrowly win a handful of key states.
The outcome exposed how the United States is as an entrenched and divided nation as ever with only small differences determining the president.
After President Donald Trump in 2016 famously squeaked out a win by a combined 77,000 votes in the vaunted Democratic "blue wall" states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Biden won back all three — carrying them collectively by wider margins.
The former vice president also flipped the 2016 electoral map by taking historically red Arizona, which last voted Democrat for president in 1996. And he's on the verge of narrowly winning reliably red Georgia, which last voted Democrat for president in 1992. Georgia's outcome is still subject to a likely recount.
Electoral College vs. the popular vote, explained President Trump and President George W. Bush won the electoral vote during the election, but not the popular vote. How does the electoral college work? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
By carrying both, and winning Nevada, Biden appears poised to win by a comfortable electoral margin with 306 electoral votes — exactly the same as Trump's 2016 victory (though only 304 electors voted for him when the electoral college met).
More: Election results update: Biden on the verge of winning presidency with leads in battlegrounds. Georgia will have a recount.
North Carolina is still counting its late-arriving absentee ballots. But the new inroads for Democrats elsewhere mean Biden, just like Trump in 2016, could have lost two out of three Rust Belt states and still reached 270 electoral votes.
Biden wins as other Democrats struggle
After his win four years ago, Trump regularly bragged about a "massive landslide victory." But Trump's win looks like a squeaker compared to Biden's when considering the popular vote.
Biden holds a popular vote lead of 74.5 million (50.5%) to 70.3 million (47.7%) as of Saturday morning. But his lead is expected to expand considerably as more mail-in ballots, particularly in Democrat-heavy California and New York, are tabulated in the days ahead. Leading by more than 4.3 million votes, Biden has already topped Democrat Hillary Clinton's popular vote margin, 2.9 million, from 2016.
Biden's comfortable electoral win undercuts Trump's attempts to fight the results. Trump has sought to delegitimize the election with baseless claims about absentee ballots in states he lost.
More: Democrats' path to control Senate narrows as Republicans fend off key challenges
Still, the razor-thin margin in a half-dozen states – and losses of Democrats elsewhere – underscores that this wasn't a blue wave. Yes, Americans rejected Trump. But falling short of the lopsided victory some polls predicted, Biden and Democrats failed to deliver clear repudiation of Trump's politics. To the dismay of Democrats, Republicans in the Senate did not pay a price for their loyalty to Trump.
Democrats, heavily favored to take control of the U.S. Senate, fell short for now, although they could still reach 50 Senate seats by winning two Georgia special elections on Jan. 5. House Republicans, meanwhile, picked up seats that Democrats turned blue two years ago, but not enough to overcome the Democratic majority.
'Blue shift' puts Biden over the edge
Stoking division further is how Biden crossed the finish-line Saturday: by dominating absentee ballots, many that were counted after Election Day.
Heading into Tuesday, election experts warned that, because mail-in ballots would heavily favor Biden, late-counted absentee ballots would provide a "blue shift" with the vote tally skewing his way. While Trump's yearlong rhetoric against mail-voting turned away his supporters, who instead were more likely to vote in person on Election Day, Democrats embraced the absentee method.
More: Some Democrats warn Trump may use 'red mirage' to prematurely declare victory while absentee ballots are being counted
Accelerating the "blue shift" in three battleground states, Republican-controlled state legislatures in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, refused to change their state laws to allow election officials to begin processing absentee ballots weeks in advance. As expected, Trump jumped out to early leads in all three states.
Trump seized on the unusual situation, baselessly claiming ballots popped up out of nowhere while trying to to convince his supporters the election was stolen from them. As evidenced by protests outside election offices in Phoenix and Philadelphia, his diehards believe him.
More: We fact-checked President Trump's speech about the election. Here's what we found.
Rust Belt 2020 vs. 2016
For Biden, the clearest path to victory was always through the Rust Belt with wins in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He did so with a close victory, replicating the tight wins Trump pulled off in 2016.
Biden unofficially won Wisconsin by 20,524 votes, slightly tighter than Trump's 2016 win the state by 22,748 votes
Biden unofficially won Michigan by 146,896 votes, considerably more than Trump's victory by 10,704 votes
Biden is up in Pennsylvania by fewer than 34,000 votes, but it could exceed more than 100,000 as more mail-in and provisionall ballots are counted. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 by 44,292 votes.
More: Biden rebuilds 'blue wall' in Wisconsin, Michigan, narrowing Trump's path to victory
In almost every state, rural areas remained as committed to Trump as ever, a testament to the rural-urban divide that dominates modern American politics.
Biden secured his victory by getting the turnout he needed in cities. It comes four years after Clinton struggled with turnout in cities in the Midwest that have large Black populations
But he especially ran up the score in what's become another Democratic stronghold: the metro areas and suburbs around cities. Trump warned Biden would "destroy the beautiful suburbs," but voters in those communities seemed to reject that message.
Big wins in suburbs propels Biden
To pull off the upset in Georgia, Biden got a massive boost from the suburbs around Atlanta. Het topped Trump by around 130,000 votes in Gwinnett and Cobb counties around Atlanta, two counties that Clinton won by only a combined 26,000 votes.
More: 'The place where we put this country back on track': How Joe Biden turned Georgia purple
In Wisconsin, Biden got higher turnout than Clinton in the state's biggest county, Milwaukee (317,251 total votes to 288,822 for Clinton), beating Trump by 20,000 more votes than Clinton did. In Madison (Dane County), Biden received 260,157 votes compared to 217,687 for Clinton, topping Trump by nearly 35,000 more votes.
In Michigan and Pennsylvania, Biden outperformed Clinton across the state. In Wayne County, home of Detroit and other suburbs, Biden received 67,630 more votes than Clinton, topping Trump by 332,000 more votes there. In Oakland County, outside of Detroit, Biden won by a margin of 110,000 votes, while Clinton won by only 54,000.
More: Will the Supreme Court ride to Donald Trump's rescue? Don't count on it.
Biden pummeled Trump in the suburbs near Philadelphia, winning Chester County by more than 50,000 votes while Clinton won it by 25,000. Biden won Delaware County over Trump by more than 81,000 votes, compared to 66,700 for Clinton. And in Montgomery County, Biden topped Trump by more than 130,00 votes; Clinton won it by 93,000 votes. The outlook in Philadelphia is not clear as thousands of mail-in ballots are still being counted.
Biden made inroads across working-class northeast Pennsylvania, maintaining some counties, flipping at least one and narrowing the margins in counties Trump won.
And he got some hometown love.
Among the counties where he outperformed Clinton was Lackawanna County, home to Scranton, where Biden was raised. Biden won Lackawanna by more than 8 percentage points. Clinton won it by less than 3 percentage points.
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.


usatoday--2020-11-07--Jill Biden will be historic first lady: Just call her 'Professor FLOTUS'

There 's another thing to know about Jill Biden , and about Joe Biden : They project serenity , which has turned out to be a vital quality in the 2020 election .
The Bidens come to the White House ( this is his third attempt ) under the most unusual of circumstances : A tight election result and a slow vote tally ( due to the huge number of pandemic-inspired mail-in ballots ) was made even more tense by the angry ranting in public by the incumbent president , who tried to stop the vote counting , filed lawsuits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about fraud in a live press conference and hinted he might not accept the results .
Throughout , both Bidens remained calm and pressed for everyone else to do the same .
It 's likely to be the same once Jill Biden takes up the role of first lady .
Because of her professional life , you can count on education being at the top of Biden 's first-lady agenda , along with advocating for military families and cancer awareness ( son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 ) , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The beauty of ( being FLOTUS ) is that you can define it however you want , '' she told Vogue in July 2019 .
`` And that ’ s what I did as second lady – I defined that role the way I wanted it to be .
I would still work on all the same issues .
Education would be right up there , and military families .
I ’ d travel all over this country trying to get free community college.
” But first lady is a higher-level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – can she really do it all ?
`` I would love to .
If we get to the White House , I 'm going to continue to teach , '' she said in an interview with `` CBS Sunday Morning '' in August .
`` I want people to value teachers and know their contributions and to lift up the profession . ''
Still , she took a leave of absence from teaching this year as she campaigned for her husband .
`` He 's always supported my career , '' she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a critical time for me to support him because , you know , I want change , '' On the road , often accompanied by one of her granddaughters , she was an engaged , enthusiastic campaigner , often pictured with her arms raised in exuberance as she addressed audiences .
Biden headlined about two dozen events in battleground states in October alone , in addition to the multiple virtual events that have become necessary due to the pandemic .
She has strongly defended her husband and family .
When asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media allies ' personal attacks on surviving son , Hunter Biden , 50 , she told `` The View '' hosts that their tactics were mere “ distractions.
” Trump and his allies of late have pushed a scandal story about Hunter Biden 's business dealings and the contents of a mysterious laptop supposed to have belonged to him .
So far , it 's failed to get much traction in the mainstream media .
`` I don ’ t like to see my son attacked , and certainly I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but to me , these are distractions , '' she said .
“ This election is… about the American people ... .The American people don ’ t want to hear these smears against my family.
” She further underscored family in a tweet after her husband was named president-elect , writing : `` He will be a President for all of our families . ''
Biden , 69 , has a bachelor 's degree and two master 's degrees , and a doctorate of education from the University of Delaware , which she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jill Jacobs .
As second lady , Biden was the first to have a paying non-political , non-legal , outside-the-Beltway job while serving .
Former second lady Lynne Cheney worked , too , ( and still works ) as a senior fellow at a Washington think tank , the American Enterprise Institute , considered an inside-the-Beltway job .
Current second lady Karen Pence also teaches : She announced in 2019 that she would return to teaching art at a Christian elementary school in northern Virginia .
Biden signaled how much she values @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave her national convention speech this summer while standing in the empty classroom where she taught English at Delaware 's Brandywine High School in the early 1990s .
`` Teaching is not what I do .
It 's who I am , '' Biden said in a pre-speech tweet .
`` She has said on the campaign trail she has every intention of doing it even if he loses , '' says Kate Andersen Brower , author of books about the White House , including `` First Women , '' about modern first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her students were unaware of the full identity of `` Dr. Biden '' as either a U.S. senator 's wife or as second lady , according to an interview with Vogue in March .
She asked Secret Service agents to dress like college students and sit unobtrusively out in the hallway , on laptops , and it worked .
As first lady , she 's likely to lose this relative anonymity .
One first-lady expert , Betty Boyd Caroli , author of multiple White House-related books , including `` First Ladies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roosevelt thought she could combine the two jobs but soon found out she could not , and the job of FLOTUS has grown a lot since she left the White House ( in 1945 ) , '' Caroli says .
Biden has the experience to make a good try .
She is not the first second lady to graduate to first lady ( the most recent was the late Barbara Bush ) , but she has the advantage of bonding and working closely with `` her '' first lady , Michelle Obama .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be a very activist FLOTUS , following the example of Lady Bird Johnson and others ; she ’ s been thinking about it for a long time , '' Caroli says .
The quote has been copied Jill Biden gives every indication she will be following the example of Lady Bird Johnson and others ; she ’ s been thinking about it for a long time .
Indeed , she 's been thinking about it since 1987 , when she spoke at a forum on first ladies in Iowa , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's no one specific `` right role '' for a first lady but there is one objective .
`` That is to make Americans feel proud of their first lady as someone who is in some way a reflection of their lives and values , '' she said then .
`` She should respond to the interests and concerns of today 's American women , who are mothers , spouses and wage earners and struggling to balance all three .
I think they will identify with a first lady who also is trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Biden has been around Washington longer than any FLOTUS in history , and she should have a full Rolodex of people to help her , '' Caroli said .
`` I expect her to quickly appoint a large , competent staff to develop her projects and do whatever she thinks will add to her husband ’ s legacy . ''
McBride and Andersen Brower say Biden is more prepared to be first lady than most of her recent predecessors with the exception of Barbara Bush and her daughter-in-law , Laura Bush .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this world , eight years plus his ( 36 ) years in the U.S. Senate , makes her uniquely equipped to handle the job , and to balance teaching with the opportunity to change people 's lives with this major megaphone as FLOTUS , '' Andersen Brower says .
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden watch fireworks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention , Thursday , Aug. 20 , 2020 , at the Chase Center in Wilmington , Del .
`` She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and staff , a good infrastructure around her so she can carve out a new chapter of this role ( of first lady ) , '' McBride says .
`` I think she will figure out a way to make it work – it 's not without its heavy demands .
I think her experience will make it easier to transition to a working ( FLOTUS ) . ''
Biden , born in Hammonton , New Jersey , and raised in Willow Grove , Pennsylvania , was getting divorced when she met her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graduation from high school but they had drifted apart by their junior year at the University of Delaware ) .
According to the story , the then-U.S. senator from Delaware , a widower with two young sons who had lost his wife and baby daughter in a car accident , saw her picture in an ad ( she did a little local modeling ) , and sought her out ; their first date was in spring 1975 .
It took five proposals before she agreed to marry him ( she wanted to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Hunter to lose another mother ) .
The couple married In 1977 , and had daughter Ashley in 1981 .
Married to a plastic surgeon , Ashley campaigns against the death penalty and for criminal justice reform , and founded her own charity-based clothing brand .
Joseph Biden with his sons Beau , left , and Hunter , and his future wife Jill in an undated photo .
The Bidens at the Democratic National Convention in 2020 .
Joseph Biden with his sons Beau , left , and Hunter , and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Bidens at the Democratic National Convention in 2020 .
LEFT : Joseph Biden with his sons Beau , left , and Hunter , and his future wife Jill in an undated photo .
RIGHT : The Bidens at the Democratic National Convention in 2020 .
Since their children are adults , it appears the Biden White House will be mostly without young children living there full time , as Barron Trump did and Malia and Sasha Obama did before him .
The Bidens now have five grandchildren ( ages 25 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the campaign trail .
When she moved into the vice-presidential residence at the U.S .
Naval Observatory in Washington in 2009 , Biden continued to teach while playing a low-key and supportive role to the Obamas .
She and Michelle Obama launched Joining Forces to help military families with educational , health and job resources , and made frequent joint appearances to promote their initiative .
In 2010 , Biden hosted the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges with President Obama .
Michelle Obama has long been a big fan of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lucky enough to call Dr. Jill Biden a dear friend , and I ’ ve seen up close the kindness , empathy , and humor she brings to even the most difficult of situations , '' Obama said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY .
`` Through our work together in the White House , I ’ ve seen Jill ’ s passion , hard work and dedication .
As a military mom and an educator , Jill has always led by example , treating everybody she meets with the sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you .
She is going to be a terrific First Lady.
” In their joint exit interview with People magazine in 2016 , Obama commented admiringly that Biden often pulled out student papers to peruse on the plane as they traveled together .
“ Jill is always grading papers , ” Obama said .
“ Which is funny because I ’ d forget , ‘ Oh yeah , you have a day job !
’ And then she pulls out her papers and she ’ s so diligent and I ’ m like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a job !
Tell me !
Tell me what it ’ s like !
’ '' Britain 's Prince Harry , first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden tour the USO Warrior and Family Center at the Fort Belvoir , Va. , military base in 2015 .
`` Michelle Obama commanded attention because she was so historic as a first lady ; Jill Biden was more low-key ( as second lady ) but still effective , '' Andersen Brower says .
Both Bidens are devoted to the “ Cancer Moonshot ” program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end cancer as we know it . ''
It was n't just due to Beau 's death at age 46 ; both of Jill Biden 's parents died of cancer .
`` Cancer is a brutal disease ; it shatters our hearts and steals our joy , '' she wrote in a column for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids , Iowa , in 2019 .
`` But what Joe and I have learned is that even if we don ’ t have medical degrees or science backgrounds , we aren ’ t helpless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` There are stories about her on the campaign trial connecting with people who lost loved ones , reaching out to people getting chemotherapy , '' Andersen Brower says .
`` She is famous for her empathy , she keeps in touch with people she 's met who are dealing with cancer . ''
Know someone interested in the future first lady ?
Share this story So even if Biden carries out the role of first lady with the unprecedented twist of pursuing her career , she has already demonstrated qualities prized for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FLOTUS job and what has long been assumed to be the first lady 's No .
1 goal : humanizing her husband and promoting his agenda .
Myra Gutin , a first-lady historian and professor of communication at Rider University in New Jersey , says that a press secretary for former first lady Betty Ford wrote years ago that FLOTUS can provide a window into the White House .
`` From this window , we can develop a sense of the character of the president and his family , '' Gutin says , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ podium to provide those insights and `` make life a little better for Americans . ''

The first thing to know about America's next first lady is that Jill Biden – a college English professor with four degrees, including a doctorate – is going to be a very busy FLOTUS, since she plans to keep her day job after moving into the White House.
After all, she continued teaching at Northern Virginia Community College during the eight years she served as second lady, working closely with the historic then-first lady Michelle Obama.
The latter considers Biden a "dear friend," who brings "kindness, empathy, and humor to even the most difficult of situations."
"She is going to be a terrific First Lady,” Obama said in a statement to USA TODAY.
But Biden will be historic in her own way, or at least that's her plan: She intends to be the first FLOTUS in the role's 231-year history to pursue her career and keep a paying job while living in the White House and serving as first lady.
Hear more about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' election win by clicking play below
"She will really be bringing the role of first lady into the 21st century," says first-lady historian Katherine Jellison, a professor at Ohio University, noting no previous FLOTUS has been "allowed" to be like most modern American women, with both a work life and a family life.
"Americans have historically wanted their first ladies to be in the White House and at the president's side whenever possible," Jellison says. "Maybe the time has come when Americans will be more accepting of the idea that a president's wife can simultaneously be a first lady and a working professional."
"The winds of change are blowing because the country keeps moving; this was bound to happen," says Anita McBride, who was chief of staff to former first lady Laura Bush and assistant to President George W. Bush, and now runs the Legacies of America's First Ladies Initiative at American University's School of Public Affairs.
STEVE HELBER, AP Copy text Copy this quote's text The quote has been copied Tweet Facebook Email Email this story Share Share this story First-lady historian Katherine Jellison Americans have historically wanted their first ladies to be in the White House and at the president’s side whenever possible. Maybe the time has come when Americans will be more accepting of the idea that a president’s wife can simultaneously be a first lady and a working professional. Quote icon STEVE HELBER, AP
There's another thing to know about Jill Biden, and about Joe Biden: They project serenity, which has turned out to be a vital quality in the 2020 election.
The Bidens come to the White House (this is his third attempt) under the most unusual of circumstances: A tight election result and a slow vote tally (due to the huge number of pandemic-inspired mail-in ballots) was made even more tense by the angry ranting in public by the incumbent president, who tried to stop the vote counting, filed lawsuits in multiple states, shouted unfounded allegations about fraud in a live press conference and hinted he might not accept the results.
Throughout, both Bidens remained calm and pressed for everyone else to do the same. It's likely to be the same once Jill Biden takes up the role of first lady.
Because of her professional life, you can count on education being at the top of Biden's first-lady agenda, along with advocating for military families and cancer awareness (son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015), all of which she pursued as second lady.
“The beauty of (being FLOTUS) is that you can define it however you want," she told Vogue in July 2019. "And that’s what I did as second lady – I defined that role the way I wanted it to be. I would still work on all the same issues. Education would be right up there, and military families. I’d travel all over this country trying to get free community college.”
Democratic Convention speaker: Jill Biden Dr. Jill Biden delivers a speech from a school in Wilmington, Delaware about COVID and closed schools for the Democratic National Convention. USA TODAY
But first lady is a higher-level job in terms of attention and pressure – can she really do it all?
"I would love to. If we get to the White House, I'm going to continue to teach," she said in an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" in August. "I want people to value teachers and know their contributions and to lift up the profession."
Still, she took a leave of absence from teaching this year as she campaigned for her husband.
"He's always supported my career," she told CNN in January. "And this is a critical time for me to support him because, you know, I want change,"
Jill Biden and her granddaughter, Finnegan Biden, at Belmont University for the final presidential debate in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 22, 2020. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
On the road, often accompanied by one of her granddaughters, she was an engaged, enthusiastic campaigner, often pictured with her arms raised in exuberance as she addressed audiences. Biden headlined about two dozen events in battleground states in October alone, in addition to the multiple virtual events that have become necessary due to the pandemic.
She has strongly defended her husband and family. When asked about President Donald Trump and his conservative media allies' personal attacks on surviving son, Hunter Biden, 50, she told "The View" hosts that their tactics were mere “distractions.”
Trump and his allies of late have pushed a scandal story about Hunter Biden's business dealings and the contents of a mysterious laptop supposed to have belonged to him. So far, it's failed to get much traction in the mainstream media.
"I don’t like to see my son attacked, and certainly I don’t like to see my husband attacked, but to me, these are distractions," she said. “This election is… about the American people....The American people don’t want to hear these smears against my family.”
She further underscored family in a tweet after her husband was named president-elect, writing: "He will be a President for all of our families."
He will be a President for all of our families. pic.twitter.com/iGPKLMMIcK — Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) November 7, 2020
Biden, 69, has a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees, and a doctorate of education from the University of Delaware, which she earned in 2007 under her original name, Jill Jacobs.
As second lady, Biden was the first to have a paying non-political, non-legal, outside-the-Beltway job while serving. Former second lady Lynne Cheney worked, too, (and still works) as a senior fellow at a Washington think tank, the American Enterprise Institute, considered an inside-the-Beltway job.
Current second lady Karen Pence also teaches: She announced in 2019 that she would return to teaching art at a Christian elementary school in northern Virginia.
Biden signaled how much she values her career as an educator when she gave her national convention speech this summer while standing in the empty classroom where she taught English at Delaware's Brandywine High School in the early 1990s.
"Teaching is not what I do. It's who I am," Biden said in a pre-speech tweet.
Teaching is not what I do. It's who I am.
I'll be giving my convention speech tonight from my former classroom.
Brandywine High School. Room 232. pic.twitter.com/NXx1EkqVGq — Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) August 18, 2020
"She has said on the campaign trail she has every intention of doing it even if he loses," says Kate Andersen Brower, author of books about the White House, including "First Women," about modern first ladies.
At least initially, most of her students were unaware of the full identity of "Dr. Biden" as either a U.S. senator's wife or as second lady, according to an interview with Vogue in March. She asked Secret Service agents to dress like college students and sit unobtrusively out in the hallway, on laptops, and it worked. As first lady, she's likely to lose this relative anonymity.
One first-lady expert, Betty Boyd Caroli, author of multiple White House-related books, including "First Ladies," has her doubts.
"Eleanor Roosevelt thought she could combine the two jobs but soon found out she could not, and the job of FLOTUS has grown a lot since she left the White House (in 1945)," Caroli says.
Biden has the experience to make a good try. She is not the first second lady to graduate to first lady (the most recent was the late Barbara Bush), but she has the advantage of bonding and working closely with "her" first lady, Michelle Obama.
"Jill Biden gives every indication she will be a very activist FLOTUS, following the example of Lady Bird Johnson and others; she’s been thinking about it for a long time," Caroli says.
Carolyn Kaster, AP Copy text Copy this quote's text The quote has been copied Tweet Facebook Email Email this story Share Share this story Betty Boyd Caroli, author of “First Ladies” Jill Biden gives every indication she will be a very activist FLOTUS, following the example of Lady Bird Johnson and others; she’s been thinking about it for a long time. Quote icon Carolyn Kaster, AP
Indeed, she's been thinking about it since 1987, when she spoke at a forum on first ladies in Iowa, according to a C-SPAN video. Biden said there's no one specific "right role" for a first lady but there is one objective.
"That is to make Americans feel proud of their first lady as someone who is in some way a reflection of their lives and values," she said then. "She should respond to the interests and concerns of today's American women, who are mothers, spouses and wage earners and struggling to balance all three. I think they will identify with a first lady who also is trying to balance all three roles."
"Biden has been around Washington longer than any FLOTUS in history, and she should have a full Rolodex of people to help her," Caroli said. "I expect her to quickly appoint a large, competent staff to develop her projects and do whatever she thinks will add to her husband’s legacy."
McBride and Andersen Brower say Biden is more prepared to be first lady than most of her recent predecessors with the exception of Barbara Bush and her daughter-in-law, Laura Bush.
"The amount of time of exposure to this world, eight years plus his (36) years in the U.S. Senate, makes her uniquely equipped to handle the job, and to balance teaching with the opportunity to change people's lives with this major megaphone as FLOTUS," Andersen Brower says.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden watch fireworks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del. Andrew Harnik, AP
"She is used to having a good team and staff, a good infrastructure around her so she can carve out a new chapter of this role (of first lady)," McBride says. "I think she will figure out a way to make it work – it's not without its heavy demands. I think her experience will make it easier to transition to a working (FLOTUS)."
Biden, born in Hammonton, New Jersey, and raised in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, was getting divorced when she met her husband (she married Bill Stevenson after graduation from high school but they had drifted apart by their junior year at the University of Delaware).
According to the story, the then-U.S. senator from Delaware, a widower with two young sons who had lost his wife and baby daughter in a car accident, saw her picture in an ad (she did a little local modeling), and sought her out; their first date was in spring 1975.
It took five proposals before she agreed to marry him (she wanted to be sure; she didn't want Beau and Hunter to lose another mother). The couple married In 1977, and had daughter Ashley in 1981. Married to a plastic surgeon, Ashley campaigns against the death penalty and for criminal justice reform, and founded her own charity-based clothing brand.
Joseph Biden with his sons Beau, left, and Hunter, and his future wife Jill in an undated photo. The Bidens at the Democratic National Convention in 2020. Joseph Biden with his sons Beau, left, and Hunter, and his future wife Jill in an undated photo. The Bidens at the Democratic National Convention in 2020. LEFT: Joseph Biden with his sons Beau, left, and Hunter, and his future wife Jill in an undated photo. RIGHT: The Bidens at the Democratic National Convention in 2020. AFP/GETTY IMAGES; ANDREW HARNIK, AP
Since their children are adults, it appears the Biden White House will be mostly without young children living there full time, as Barron Trump did and Malia and Sasha Obama did before him.
The Bidens now have five grandchildren (ages 25 to 14) old enough to appear occasionally on the campaign trail.
When she moved into the vice-presidential residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington in 2009, Biden continued to teach while playing a low-key and supportive role to the Obamas.
She and Michelle Obama launched Joining Forces to help military families with educational, health and job resources, and made frequent joint appearances to promote their initiative. In 2010, Biden hosted the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges with President Obama.
Michelle Obama has long been a big fan of Jill Biden.
“I’m lucky enough to call Dr. Jill Biden a dear friend, and I’ve seen up close the kindness, empathy, and humor she brings to even the most difficult of situations," Obama said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. "Through our work together in the White House, I’ve seen Jill’s passion, hard work and dedication. As a military mom and an educator, Jill has always led by example, treating everybody she meets with the sort of genuine warmth and care that sticks with you. She is going to be a terrific First Lady.”
In their joint exit interview with People magazine in 2016, Obama commented admiringly that Biden often pulled out student papers to peruse on the plane as they traveled together.
“Jill is always grading papers,” Obama said. “Which is funny because I’d forget, ‘Oh yeah, you have a day job!’ And then she pulls out her papers and she’s so diligent and I’m like, ‘Look at you! You have a job! Tell me! Tell me what it’s like!’"
Britain's Prince Harry, first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden tour the USO Warrior and Family Center at the Fort Belvoir, Va., military base in 2015. Andrew Harnik, AP
"Michelle Obama commanded attention because she was so historic as a first lady; Jill Biden was more low-key (as second lady) but still effective," Andersen Brower says.
Both Bidens are devoted to the “Cancer Moonshot” program, launched by President Obama "to end cancer as we know it." It wasn't just due to Beau's death at age 46; both of Jill Biden's parents died of cancer.
"Cancer is a brutal disease; it shatters our hearts and steals our joy," she wrote in a column for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2019. "But what Joe and I have learned is that even if we don’t have medical degrees or science backgrounds, we aren’t helpless in the face of cancer."
"There are stories about her on the campaign trial connecting with people who lost loved ones, reaching out to people getting chemotherapy," Andersen Brower says. "She is famous for her empathy, she keeps in touch with people she's met who are dealing with cancer."
× Know someone interested in the future first lady? Share this story
So even if Biden carries out the role of first lady with the unprecedented twist of pursuing her career, she has already demonstrated qualities prized for the "traditional" part of the FLOTUS job and what has long been assumed to be the first lady's No. 1 goal: humanizing her husband and promoting his agenda.
Myra Gutin, a first-lady historian and professor of communication at Rider University in New Jersey, says that a press secretary for former first lady Betty Ford wrote years ago that FLOTUS can provide a window into the White House.
"From this window, we can develop a sense of the character of the president and his family," Gutin says, predicting Biden will use her White House podium to provide those insights and "make life a little better for Americans."