Biden adviser Cedric Richmond tests positive for coronavirus
One of President-elect Joe Biden’s closest advisers has tested positive for the coronavirus
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.One of President-elect Joe Biden’s closest advisers tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, according to his transition team
Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond who is set to resign from Congress to join the incoming Biden administration as a senior adviser, tested positive two days after traveling to Atlanta to attend a campaign rally that Biden headlined for Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock Biden transition spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.
Bedingfield said Richmond was not in close contact with Biden, Ossoff or Warnock, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She added that Biden underwent COVID-19 testing on Thursday, and the virus was not detected.
Biden has stayed close to home since last month's election, and the rally marked just the second time since Election Day that he's left his home state of Delaware.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, voting rights activist Stacey Abrams and U.S. Rep.-elect Nikema Williams also attended the rally but did not come in CDC-defined close contact with Richmond, either, Bedingfield said.
Richmond, 47, first began experiencing symptoms on Wednesday, the transition said.
He was a key figure in helping Biden leverage his own long-standing relationships with Congressional Black Caucus members.
The congressman, who was first elected in 2010 when Biden was President Barack Obama’s vice president, was especially important in outreach to younger lawmakers who, like him, came to Washington later in the 78-year-old president-elect’s career.
Richmond will take on a public engagement role in the Biden administration that will allow him to deal with Congress while focusing on the Black community and other minority groups. Richmond’s role will be like that of Valerie Jarrett in Obama’s administrations.
A former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Richmond was among Biden’s earliest high-profile supporters and served as his campaign co-chair.