Cedric Richmond, representing Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District and the co-chair of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, visited a Biden campaign office at the corner of 7th and Dudley in South Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon to talk to canvassers for the campaign.
“Let me just tell you all how important Pennsylvania, how important Philadelphia is,” Richmond told the group. “When we made our announcement, we did it here. When we decided where to put our headquarters, we did it here.”
Richmond, who said he’d been friends with Biden for a long time, said that Biden’s stuttering problem in his youth helped him become the man he is today. Biden’s mother told him that nobody was better than him, and he was no better than anybody else, Richmond said.
“When you think about that profound, teachable moment from his mother,” he continued, “it really means that every life is equal.”
Richmond used the anecdote to contrast Biden with his challenger, Donald Trump.
“The fact that we’ve lost 225,000 lives when wearing a mask and some real leadership would’ve made a difference is sinful. The fact that we may lose another 100,000 before the end of the year is sinful. Because we just can’t get leadership that will take it seriously is sinful.”
Richmond said that the campaign feels good about states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
“But we want to feel great about Pennsylvania,” he said.
Richmond touched on the issue of voters who feel “disenchanted with the voting process.”
“We have to remind them that this is their one opportunity to exercise their power,” he said. “Your vote counts the exact same as Warren Buffet’s vote. And this is the only place where everybody has equal say.”
Richmond then quoted Plato: One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics “is you wind up being governed by your inferiors,” he said.
Richmond called Trump “unfit to serve in the military,” “unfit to be commander in chief” and “just unfit to be a caring human being.”
Most recent polls in Pennsylvania show Biden with a lead. A Civiqs poll conducted from Oct. 23-26 shows Biden with a 52% to 45% lead. A Fox News poll conducted from Oct. 17-20 shows Biden with a 50% to 45% lead. The most recent poll showing Trump with a lead in the state was an InsiderAdvantage poll, released on Oct. 25, which showed the president with a 48% to 46% lead in the state.
Richmond encouraged canvassers to keep up the work that has given Biden the edge so far in the state.
“When you’re tired, make another call, knock one more door, grab a couple packets,” he said. “Let’s make sure that we push people to turn in those ballots on Election Day.”
At the current time of writing, FiveThirtyEight gives Biden an 86 out of 100 chance of winning Pennsylvania on Election Day.
