Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) is urging the nation to pursue Democracy amid a pandemic.
The coronavirus outbreak continues to interrupt daily life across the U.S. Stay-at-home orders have been issued, businesses have closed, and primaries have been postponed. However, Biden is suggesting the 2020 presidential election cannot be delayed.
“We can take care of our health and our democracy,” Biden said. “The idea of postponing an election is not possible, it should not happen.”
“Democracy has to continue to function. We have to lead.”
Watch his comments below:
"We can take care of our health and our democracy. The idea of postponing an election is not possible, it should not happen. The democracy has to continue to function. We have to lead."
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) April 8, 2020
– Fmr. Vice President Joe Biden on holding an election during a pandemic. pic.twitter.com/8vDQ7ghrdQ
Biden also cited examples of when the nation has held elections amid other crises.
CNN’s Chris Cuomo asked Biden if he thinks he won in Wisconsin even though election results have not come in yet. Biden explained how the in-person primary should not have been held.
“My gut is that we shouldn’t have had the election in the first place, the in-person election,” Biden said. “It should have been all mail ballots in. It should have been moved in the way that five other states have done it.”
The Wisconsin primary stirred up controversy among lawmakers as some believed it should have been postponed, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), as IJR previously reported.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed an executive order to postpone the election, but it was blocked by Wisconsin’s Supreme Court.
Biden continued to comment on the decision to hold the primary.
“This was all about the Republican legislature pushing really, really hard to maintain and make sure they had an election because I think they know that low turnout affects their interest,” Biden said.
He speculates that he may have done well but is not completely sure as the results will not come in until Monday.
A total of 15 states have reportedly postponed their primaries as of Tuesday.
