Jill Biden in Rochester: 'This election is just too important to not do every single thing we can'

Former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the Med City Thursday afternoon on behalf of her husband Joe and Democrats down the ballot, telling a socially-distanced crowd of a few dozen to “do everything they can” to flip the Senate and White House in November.

Dr. Biden spoke for roughly ten minutes at Essex Park Thursday as the keynote speaker for an event honoring essential health care workers and encouraging citizens to “get out the vote.” Her speech followed remarks from U.S. Senator Tina Smith and hopeful Minnesota state Senators Dr. Aleta Borrud and Sara Flick.

(Doug Imhoff, husband of U.S. Senator and potential VP Kamala Harris, was originally scheduled to make an appearance, but canceled after two members of Sen. Harris’ traveling party tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday.)

Dr. Biden, a professor of writing at a community college when not on the campaign trail, said she enjoys routinely working with the newest and brightest people entering the field of health care.

“I teach a lot of health care workers, and so often they are my best students,” said Dr. Biden. “I think that’s because healing is more than a job — it’s a calling.” 

The Rochester event was the last of three Minnesota stops for Dr. Biden on Thursday, after visiting St. Paul and Minneapolis earlier in the afternoon. She avoided mentioning her husband’s opponent, President Donald Trump, by name, but alluded to “cynics” attempting to shut down and silence positive voices.

“This election is just too important to not do every single thing we can,” said Dr. Biden. “There are no do-overs… this is it. We have to believe that our communities are stronger than the challenges we face, because they are. We have to believe that our votes matter, because they do.”

To close the speech, Dr. Biden said that Minnesota had shown a “great turnout” in early voting, with just 18 days before Election Day. She added that it would be supremely important to keep the momentum going, urging voters to cast their ballots early and spend the next 18 days working to elect her husband, as well as the candidates that joined her on stage.

“We need to keep pushing, especially here in Rochester,” said Dr. Biden. “One vote can make the difference between winning and losing a precinct. One precinct can win a state. And one state, this state, could decide our future for generations to come.”

The latest polling averages give Joe Biden a lead of nine percentage points over President Trump in Minnesota. 

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.