The Weekly Wrap: Election Edition

For the last week, the entirety of the nation has watched the Presidential Election results on pins and needles waiting to hear which candidate would be sitting in the White House come January. Also, for a lot of us, this election has paid its toll. Between the state of our nation as we continue to navigate a global pandemic, political divide, social unrest, and culling our social media friends based on these varying opinions what the future holds is unclear. Perhaps never before has an election affected our nation in such a way. For a lot of people, our very livelihoods are at risk as we contemplate the changes coming in the future.

That being said, today’s Election Edition of The Weekly Wrap comes to you a bit differently. Even though we now have a projected winner, this election is far from over. Here are some stories to help you keep up with everything that’s going on.

First and foremost, congratulations to former Vice President Joe Biden and our current Person of the Week, California Senator Kamala Harris on their election victory.

While this a major win for the Democratic party and a cap on President-Elect Biden’s 40 year run for the oval office, history was also made as Kamala Harris becomes the first woman, first Black, first South Asian, and first multiracial Vice President of the United States. This is a moment to be truly celebrated as we continue to move towards progress by breaking down these historical barriers. Harris now carries a great weight on her shoulders stepping into office, but it also puts her in a unique position to carry on the good fight toward civic justice.

However, despite the current count of votes bringing Biden’s victory over Trump to 290 to 214 electoral votes with 270 being the majority needed to win, Trump’s camp continues to fight with the announcement of lawsuits in multiple states in an attempt to attest votes with specific citing to alleged barriers to observing the counting of mail-in ballots, alleged votes cast by the deceased and alleged backdated ballots. Even with the multitude of lawsuits, it currently seems like this will do little change the number of votes Trump needs to swing the election in his favor.

In another turn of events, a Trump administration appointee has refused to sign documents delaying Biden’s transition team from beginning the transfer of power. This seems to come as just another point in Trump’s growing list of reasons as he continues to refuse to acknowledge the lost election. This would mark the first delay since the recount of votes in 2000 after the Bush v. Gore election.

In regards to the race for the majority of the House and Senate, Democrats have a small margin on the majority in the House. However, with a run-off election in Georgia currently set for January, control for the Senate is still up in the air with Republicans poised for the majority.

Harris wasn’t the only one making history. Congratulations to Cori Bush, the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress, Sarah McBride, the first openly trans state senator in U.S. History from the state of Delaware, Ritchie Torres, the first openly LGBTQIA Afro-Latinx member of Congress from the state of New York, Mondaire Jones, one of the first openly gay Black men of Congress from the state of New York, Marilyn Strickland, the first Korean American woman in Congress from the state of Washington, Madison Cawthorn, the youngest Congressman since 1965 and youngest Republican to be elected to the House from the state of North Carolina, Ana Irma Rivera Lassen, the first openly lesbian Black woman to be elected to the Puerto Rico Senate, Deb Haaland, Teresa Leger Fernandez and Yvette Herrell, who made New Mexico the first state to elect only women of color to Congress, Mauree Turner, the first Muslim lawmaker of Oklahoma and first openly non-binary state legislator, Stephanie Byers, first openly trans person of color to be elected to a state legislature in the U.S. and the state of Kansas, Jenifer Rajkumar and Zohran Mamdani, the first South Asian members of the New York state legislature, Taylor Small, the first openly trans person elected to the Vermont state legislature, Shevrin Jones, the first openly LGBTQIA member of the Florida state Senate, and Michele Rayner, the first openly LGBTQIA woman elected to the Florida state legislature.

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