Joe Biden is now the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in the November election
By Irish Echo Staff
Joe Biden was officially confirmed Tuesday night as the Democratic Party's candidate for the presidency of the United States.
In a television roll call of delegates scattered across the fifty states and seven U.S. territories Biden comfortably accumulated the required number of delegates to overcome his only remaining formal challenger, Senator Bernie Sanders.
With his elevation, Biden qualifies as the most overtly Irish American candidate for the Oval office since President Kennedy.
"I am bursting with pride that Joe Biden, an able successor to John Kennedy, will be our next president," said Brian O'Dwyer, vice chairman of the Irish American Democrats lobby group.
Tuesday was the second night of the convention which is formally set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but with participants scattered across the country taking part remotely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over its first two of four nights the convention has been notable also for the number of Republicans taking part.
Tuesday night's broadcast was also a stand out from an Irish American perspective given the significant amount of speaking time afforded Congressman Brendan Boyle from Philadelphia, the only member of Congress with an Irish immigrant parent, his father being from County Donegal.
Meanwhile, the Republicans will hold their convention next week with President Trump poised for confirmation as his party's flag bearer in November.
