(WWJ) Michigan’s top politicians are reacting to the news of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris’ victory.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan called it a big win for the city of Detroit.
“President-Elect Biden was a friend to Detroit when we were down, helping save our auto industry and helping our city to recover from bankruptcy,” Duggan said on Twitter.
Representative Haley Stevens (D-11) said Biden was the “right leader for this moment.”
“He can unite our country, rebuild our economy and get the pandemic under control” she wrote. “He knows what we do here in Michigan.”
Newly re-elected Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat, said this “historic victory” creates an opportunity to overcome the political divide in the United States.
“It is clear we need to heal our country from the politics of division and hyperpartisanship and that will be our mandate as we look ahead and start to build back better,” Peters said in a statement.
On the other side of the aisle; Representative Fred Upton (R-6) is gaining national attention for reaching across party lines and sending a heartfelt congratulations to the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect.
“We have to find a way to come together, bridge divisions, and focus on solutions that help the millions who are struggling. I am raising my hand and committing to working with President-Elect Biden and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” Upton said.
The Republican Congressman quoted the man often thought of as the Father of the Civil Rights Movement: “As Fredrick Douglass said, I would unite with anybody to do right and nobody to do wrong.”
Representative Paul Mitchell, (R-10), also delivered his congratulations to Biden; “America now looks to you to lead our country and unite us for the common good.”
Biden reiterated a plea for unity in a statement after the Associated Press declared him the projected winner of the Election; "In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America."
He called on Americans to come together, to “heal.”
“And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together,” he wrote.
Mr. Trump’s campaign is refuting Biden’s victory. They announced they will continue their legal fight next week.
“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the right winner is chosen,” Mr. Trump wrote in a statement.
“I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count that they deserve, and Democracy demands,” he said.
Twitter flagged his statement: “This claim about election fraud is disputed.”
At 77, Biden becomes the oldest President-Elect in American history. Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, a California senator, breaks barriers as the first Black and South Asian woman to hold the second highest office in the nation.