Politics

Former President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn congratulate Biden and Harris

Photos: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's 74-year marriage PLAINS, GA - APRIL 20: Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter attend church on Easter Sunday at Maranatha Baptist Church on April 20, 2014 in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Chris McKay/Getty Images) (Chris McKay)

ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter congratulated President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris Saturday after their win.

President Carter, who is from Plains, Georgia, said in a statement:

“Rosalynn joins me in congratulating our friends President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. We are proud of their well-run campaign and look forward to seeing the positive change they bring to our nation.”

Biden and Harris were projected to win the election Saturday morning after days of vote tabulations across the country.

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Carter joined other former presidents in congratulating Biden and Harris.

President Barack Obama issued the following statement on Facebook:

Channel 2 Action News will have live streaming election coverage starting at 7 p.m. as results come in. Download the WSB Now app on your Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV to watch LIVE.

"I could not be prouder to congratulate our next President, Joe Biden, and our next First Lady, Jill Biden. I also couldn’t be prouder to congratulate Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff for Kamala’s groundbreaking election as our next Vice President.

"In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen. And once every vote is counted, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory.

“We’re fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way. Because when he walks into the White House in January, he’ll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has – a raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril. I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote. So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support. The election results at every level show that the country remains deeply and bitterly divided. It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part – to reach out beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward, all of us remembering that we are one nation, under God. Finally, I want to thank everyone who worked, organized, and volunteered for the Biden campaign, every American who got involved in their own way, and everybody who voted for the first time. Your efforts made a difference. Enjoy this moment. Then stay engaged. I know it can be exhausting. But for this democracy to endure, it requires our active citizenship and sustained focus on the issues – not just in an election season, but all the days in between. Our democracy needs all of us more than ever. And Michelle and I look forward to supporting our next President and First Lady however we can.”

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Former President Bill Clinton, who served from 1993 to 2001, said the victory will unite the country.

“America has spoken and democracy has won,” Clinton said on social media. “Now we have a President-Elect and Vice President-Elect who will serve all of us and bring us all together.”

Biden will be the oldest president once he is inaugurated. The victory also makes Harris the first Black woman elected vice president. Harris is also the first person of South Asian descent elected to the position.

They will be sworn in as president and vice president Jan. 20.


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