A NEW campaign has been launched in Ireland to support Joe Biden in his bid for the US Presidency.
The former Vice President is facing off against President Donald Trump in the upcoming US election, and the campaign urges Irish people to contact their relatives and friends in America and encourage them to vote for the Irish-American candidate.
Thank you to everyone for supporting our launch earlier today.
Call a Cousin, Phone a Friend, Ring a Relative 📞📞📞@cllremcoffey @John_McGahon @ErinMcGreehan @paulallenpr pic.twitter.com/NnVK8BAVlF— Irish4Biden (@Irish4Biden) October 2, 2020
The Irish for Biden campaign was launched on Friday in County Louth, where Mr Biden's maternal great-grandparents immigrated from in the 1850's, and where the politician visited in 2016.
Speaking to BreakingNews.ie, local Councillor Emma Coffey, chair of the Dundalk Municipal District Council, said:
"Little did his great grandfather James Finnegan and wife Catherine know many, many years ago when they left the shores of Cooley that their great grandson would be running for the highest office in their adopted country."
She asked those present to "make sure you get the message out there to make a call to a cousin, phone a friend or relative and tell them it is about time we had an Irish American back in the Oval Office".
Dublin Councillor David McManus also lent his support to the campaign, urging voters to "get an Irish American back into the White House".
"Please Call a Cousin, Phone a Friend, Ring a Relative," he wrote on Twitter, echoing the campaign's motto. "That's what I will be doing."
Let's get an Irish American back into the White House 🇮🇪🇺🇸 @JoeBiden
Please Call a Cousin, Phone a Friend, Ring a Relative.
That's what I will be doing. @Irish4Biden @DemsIRL @PaulBegala @TerryMcAuliffe pic.twitter.com/0B9tLaKOZi— Cllr. David McManus 🇮🇪 (@McManusDavid) October 2, 2020
It is believed that out of Joe Biden's 16 great-grandparents, 10 were born in Ireland, including in Louth and County Mayo, and the Democrat has often spoken fondly of his Irish roots, famously saying "Northeast Pennsylvania will be written on my heart, but Ireland will be written on my soul".
To learn more about the Irish For Biden campaign, you can visit the website here.