On Tuesday evening, Democrats gathered virtually from across the U.S. to give their final roll call blessing to former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris for the 2020 Democratic presidential ticket. Two Nevadans, State Senator Yvanna Cancela and Washoe County School District Trustee Dr. Angie Taylor, were featured in the national presentation on Tuesday night, as well.
Senator Cancela, who is a Biden campaign senior adviser in Nevada, was part of a segment featuring several boundary-breaking legislators and public figures from across the nation, including Long Beach, California Mayor Robert Garcia; Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin; and Georgia State Representative Sam Park.
In a segment called “We the People,” Dr. Taylor was featured along with four other Americans discussing the issue of health care and the Affordable Care Act. Dr. Taylor, who is up for re-election this year and is an assistant pastor in Reno, spoke about her challenges with navigating health care, both personally as a breast cancer survivor and for members of her congregation.
“Generally speaking, at church you’re concerned about people spiritually, but you’re also concerned about people and other areas of their life, and that includes their physical or physiological well being because the Bible talks about all of us,” she said.
The virtual presentation featured a political who’s-who, including former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, former U.S. Army General and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell, former Republican U.S. Senator for Nebraska Chuck Hagel and a video section involving the late former U.S. Senator John McCain and wife Cindy McCain. These largely focused on Biden’s experience and leadership abilities.
Dr. Jill Biden concluded the evening by talking about her husband’s experiences dealing with the loss of his daughter and his first wife in a tragic 1972 car accident prior to his becoming a U.S. Senator, and the loss of his son Beau in 2015. Her speech served to further humanize Biden and demonstrate his ability to empathize with a nation in the midst of great suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic and economic despair.
Nevada Democrats hosted a watch party on Zoom before the national convention’s broadcast. U.S. Congresswoman Susie Lee (D), State Treasurer Zach Conine (D), and several Nevada state legislators spoke to get viewers ready for the main event. They also pressed for volunteers to show up and help, and more importantly to vote.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are now formally the Democratic party nominees for President and Vice President and have been invited to speak at the convention on both Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Kamala Harris will make her first primetime speech as the Democratic Party Vice Presidential nominee during a notable week which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving some women the right to vote.
