After three days of serious anxiety for millions around the world, Aussies are waking up the news that Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States, bringing an end to Trump’s four-year reign of idiocy.
Among the myriad reasons to celebrate Biden’s victory is the fact that Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris’ election to the second-highest post in the US has landed her in the history books- more than a few times over.
She’s the first woman to be elected Vice President.
She’s the first Black person to be elected Vice President.
*And* she’s the first Asian American to be elected Vice President.
That’s a whole lot of bad-ass firsts.
While ballots are still being counted, The New York Times, The Associated Press and every major TV news network in the US has called the race for Biden after projecting he would win Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes, giving him the more than the 270 required to win the White House.
Shortly after the news broke, Harris tweeted a statement demonstrating more graciousness than Trump mustered during his entire time at the White House.
“This election is about so much more than Joe Biden or me,” she said. “It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.”
This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.pic.twitter.com/Bb9JZpggLN
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
Not long after that, she shared a v. cute video of her congratulating running mate and now President-Elect Biden over the phone.
“We did it. We did it, Joe!,” she said. “You’re going to be the next President of the United States.”
We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
She also wasted no time updating her Twitter bio to reflect her soon-to-be new job title, which is sure as fuck what we’d do (maybe after Instagram).
Congratulations from around the world are already flooding in, with Barack Obama – who made history as America’s first Black president 13 years ago – calling her election to office “groundbreaking”.
Congratulations to my friends, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris — our next President and Vice President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/febgqxUi1y
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 7, 2020
Women have both run for president and on major party presidential tickets before – the most recent being Hillary Clinton – but a woman of colour being elected to a national office makes Harris’ achievement all the more momentous.
How it went: How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/kRuvrN2puf
— Women for Election (@women4election) November 7, 2020
Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus – who showed face at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year to support Biden and Harris’ ticket – tweeted her congratulations, from one Veep to another.
“Madam Vice President” is no longer a fictional character. @KamalaHarris pic.twitter.com/rg1fErtHGX
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) November 7, 2020
Congratulations, Kamala Harris!
