Election 2020 updates: Biden warns of 'dark winter,' pushes masks in pandemic plan

Following a brief speech, Harris introduced Biden, who jogged out to the stage and greeted a newly masked Harris with double fist bumps. They posed for photos in front of the podium and then Harris exited the stage.

"Folks, the people of this nation have spoken. They've delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for we, the people. We’ve won with the most votes ever cast on a presidential ticket in the history of the nation: 74 million," he said. "And what I must admit has surprised me, tonight we're seeing all over this nation, all cities in all parts of the country, indeed across the world, an outpouring of joy, of hope of renewed faith in tomorrow, bring a better day. And I'm humbled by the trust and confidence you've placed in me."

"I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify. Who doesn't see red states and blue states, only sees the United States," in a callback to remarks from former President Barack Obama. "And work with all my heart with the confidence of the whole people, to win the confidence of all of you. And for that is what America I believe is about. It's about people and that's what our administration will be all about."

"You chose hope and unity, decency, science, and yes, truth," she said eliciting cheers, applause and honking horns. "You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America. And Joe is a healer, a uniter, a tested and steady hand. A person whose own experience of loss gives him a sense of purpose that will help us as a nation reclaim our own sense of purpose. And a man with a big heart who loves with abandon. It's his love for Jill, who will be an incredible first lady."

"It's his love for Hunter and Ashley and his grandchildren and the entire Biden family. And while I first knew Joe as vice president, I really got to know him as the father who loved Beau, my dear friend who we remember here today," she continued.

For the first time in its nearly 250-year history, the U.S. will have a woman vice president. The moment was not lost on Kamala Harris as she spoke Saturday night, taking the stage to "Work That" by Mary J. Blige, hours after ABC declared Joe Biden the apparent 46th president.

"What a testament it is to Joe's character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exists in our country and select a woman as his vice president," she said.

Harris cited her victory on the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, giving some women the right to vote.

Biden had promised to choose a woman as his vice president candidate in the run-up to Harris' selection. After interviewing a number of candidates -- including former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, Florida Rep. Val Demings and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer -- he chose Harris on Aug. 11.

"But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last," Harris said. "Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities and to the children of our country regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they've never seen it before."

Harris was only the third major ticket vice presidential candidate following Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Sarah Palin in 2008.

Kamala Harris took the stage in Wilmington, Delaware, with a message from the late lion of the Democratic Party.

"Congressman John Lewis before his passing wrote 'Democracy is not a state, it is an act.' And what he meant was that America's democracy is not guaranteed," she said. "It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it."

Harris did not mention current President Donald Trump, but said the democracy itself was on the ballot, as huge signs reading "The People Have Chosen Empathy."

"And when our very democracy was on the ballot in this election with the very soul of America at stake and the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America," she continued.

Harris took to the stage at 8:30 p.m. and thanked poll workers for counting votes, as well as organizers in the field. She also thanked her husband, Doug, and Joe Biden for choosing her as his running mate.

She left her biggest thanks for her mother, who came from India and followed the American dream.