Electric atmosphere as crowd awaits victory speeches by Biden, Harris

Longtime Biden confidants reflect on victory

As Joe Biden prepares to address the nation as president-elect, two of his closest confidants shared their reflections on a journey that began 48 years ago tonight with his election as senator.

When Biden won that upset against a popular incumbent Republican senator and former governor in 1972, “I said to myself, ‘I will never believe anything is impossible,’” recalled Ted Kaufman, Biden’s longtime chief of staff and his successor in the Senate.”It was a big day for all of us in terms of coming from nowhere and winning. And it’s a big day today to see him become president of the United States.”

His campaign manager then was his sister, Valerie.

“We had the same commitment, the same passion, the same joy of thinking that we could do something very positive, which was to end the war in Vietnam, protect our civil rights, and protect the environment. My brother’s energy commitment and passion never changed,” she said. “Of course I’m thrilled that my brother won. But this is so much more than about my brother being president. It really was about restoring the soul of America. And in a less poetic way it was about restoring our democracy.”

“In America we often get the person we need for the moment — we got Lincoln in the Civil War, and we got Roosevelt in the Depression and World War II. And I think my brother is the right man for these challenges,” she said.

“He’s going to show up more ready to govern than any president in the history of the country in terms of the experience he has,” Kaufman said. Kaufman is now heading up Biden’s transition.

Asked how Biden remained steady and navigated difficult moments on the campaign, Kaufman said he “was convinced the whole time.”

“He wasn’t running to be president because he wanted to be president. It was about Charlottesville,” he said. “He has this ‘look in the mirror’ test. He will not not do something because it’s going to be hard. So this whole thing was about, ‘How will I feel about myself if I don’t run and Trump gets re-elected?’”