Local, state and federal elected leaders from the Bay Area reacted Saturday to major news outlets projecting that Joe Biden will be the next president of the U.S. and that Oakland native Kamala Harris will be the first female vice president in the country's history.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco where Harris served as the district attorney before being elected California attorney general and U.S. senator, posted a photo of the two of them.
"My dear friend, and now Madame Vice President-elect, congratulations," Newsom wrote. "California is so, so proud today."
The mayors of San Francisco and Oakland both also sent congratulatory messages to Biden and Harris for their victory over President Donald Trump. "Joe Biden ran on the simple but powerful idea that we should strive to be a united country, not a divided one," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said. "As president, he has promised to represent everyone, not just those who voted for him, and he will put the needs of the American people first."
In Oakland, horns honked and cheers erupted on city streets when the major news outlets called the race for Biden and Harris on Saturday morning. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said, "Today, America said yes: Yes to decency and compassion. Yes to new leadership that elevates oue values of diversity and inclusion. Yes to a Black, Indian-American woman from Oakland, California."
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, one of the Bay Area members of Congress who will work with the new Biden administration, said, "We can focus on building back our infrastructure, economy, and health care by strengthening the Affordable Care Act." Speier added, "A Trump campaign punctuated by racism and misogyny will end with a Black woman in the White House and a bold agenda for women's equality and dignity."
