At the Archmere Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, some have heard about stories of US President Joe Biden as a student here over six decades ago. Nearby, at the busy Manor Ave Street, some shopkeepers also speak fondly of Biden — “the good man who took care of Delaware”.
But, they are also quick to add a rejoinder. “Thank God, he chose to not contest this election, or he would have taken the Democrats down with himself. It is always good to know when to hang up one’s boots,” a group of three elderly men told CNN-News18 in Delaware, Joe Biden’s stronghold. The Delaware Memorial Bridge, a landmark dual-suspension bridge, is one’s gateway from New Jersey to Delaware’s big city Wilmington.
Biden has a deep connection with Delaware. This is where his family had moved to in 1953 and Biden went to school here at Archmere Academy till 1961. He subsequently graduated from the University of Delaware, and then went on to represent Delaware as a Senator continuously for almost four decades, from 1973 till 2009.
Since 1988, the Delaware state has been won by the Democrats.
Last month, as a sort of farewell event, Biden hosted the QUAD summit in Delaware, and the Archmere Academy was in fact the venue of the summit. The US President proudly showcased the Academy as the place where he was once the president of Junior and Senior Class.
There is a considerable Gujarati diaspora in Delaware too, and the state was declared a ‘sister state’ of Gujarat a few years ago. This also explained Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s big welcome in Wilmington by the diaspora when he arrived here for the QUAD summit. Many members of the Indian diaspora seem to be with Republicans.
“We support Donald Trump… his policies are more aligned with those of Narendra Modi back home in India. Both Modi and Trump had a good equation when the latter was the US President. The Democrats had no chance till a couple of months ago with Biden as the contestant… but now the fight is quite tight with Kamala Harris shoring up the Democrat chances,” Jigesh Patel and his wife said. The couple was part of the group that came to welcome Modi in Delaware.
Among the Americans here, the Democrats seem to be the favourite. Delaware has only three electoral votes but the sentiment is clear here too — that Joe Biden’s political utility has run out and it was the best decision by the party to have Kamala Harris take over the reins of fighting this electoral battle.
“Joe Biden saved himself the embarrassment of ending his career with a humiliating loss. He tried to ignore the reality for long but finally good sense prevailed on him. Everyone here in Delaware loves him, even more so as he rides into the sunset now,” said Paul Misen, a local entrepreneur in Wilmington.
(On Friday: In New York, Women Back Harris Over Abortion Issue, Say US Ready for Women Prez)
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