The. Good to see you. You can control this outcome. Meet you at the poll. Owens is a lawyer and the son of the president's sister, Valerie Owens. I hadnt heard about Joe Biden before, but when Obama chose him to be his V.P. Whoever black people vote for, that candidate will be the Democratic nominee. I really had a searching of the soul in there, and a few things really got me where Im at [INAUDIBLE]. So theres a lot of history that goes into that. Oh, I voted when I was 18. Perched on a chair pulled before a crackling fireplace in Joe Biden's office at the Biden Institute at the University. Ms. Owens spoke twice at the gathering, where speaking fees ranged from $2,500 to $15,000 for former Obama administration officials, according to a report by The Washington Diplomat, a publication covering the diplomatic community. Biden Owens is the son of POTUS' sister and closest adviser, Valerie Biden Owens. For example, The New York Times reported how a four-month stint as an alternate representative to the United Nations under President Obama paid her "about $26,000." [33], In 2021, Forbes listed Owens on their Impact List of 50 Women over 50 who are inspiring change in their communities through social entrepreneurship, law, advocacy and education. We have someone here today that we know. Obama versus Hillary, who did you support? She was present at the celebratory event along with Biden's other loved ones, including his wife of 40 years, Dr. Jill Biden; his children, Hunter and Ashley; and his seven grandchildren, who inspired him to run for president. Just a different Pentecostal denomination. And while it's unclear how much Joe Biden has paid his sister over the years, a 2008 report published by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ranked Biden as the fourth senator "paying the most money in salaries or fees to family members," noting how he paid a combined $54,904.78 to Owens and her daughter, Catherine. So you have to be able to get groups of all people to vote for you across the Democratic Party. You know, so because they had me all hyped up by Hillary, I had bought me a dress to wear to the inaugural ball, and I aint wore it yet. I figured, if Obama chose him, he didnt have to. In December 2020, Reuters published a "fact check," clarifying that "Joe Biden's sister is not married to Dominion Voting Systems' owner after multiple social media posts alleged that Owens' husband was Stephen Owens. Whats their motivation for telling us? Cain, a professor at St. Marys College of Maryland, who attended. Noting that she's "very certain that his stuttering really chiseled who he is," Owens argued that "because of it, he developed a backbone of steel and became a little boy of courage, and a little boy with a great deal of empathy.". A seven-year-old Valerie, wearing her First Communion dress, stands alongside her brothers Joe and Jimmy. Thats what they were doing in South Carolina. Because Id had to do it against a machine. [13], In 2014, Owens was a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter! Valerie Biden Owens is one of the first women in the United States to have managed a modern U.S. Senatorial campaign, as well as a Presidential campaign. Valerie Biden Owens is the first woman in U.S. history to have run a presidential campaign that of her brother, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. She also led his seven straight U.S. Senate victories and has been his principal surrogate on the campaign trail. [16], She has traveled around the world as a motivational speaker, and teacher of leadership and communication seminars. On the campaign trail, Ms. Owens often recalled how her brother empowered her as a young girl. ", Joe Biden has made no secret of his lifelong stutter while encouraging those suffering from the affliction to persevere. What were year were you born? Valerie and Jack had actually met on a blind date before her first marriage, facilitated by Biden and his then-girlfriend, Neilia. But rather than celebrating, the family was struck a major blow when Biden's wife, Neilia, and daughter Naomi "died instantly" in a car crash while sons "Beau and Hunter were seriously injured." At 29, a young father with a wife and three children, he was headed to Washington, D.C. Six weeks later, the euphoria ended tragically. [CHEERING]. Im here to earn your vote. She and her brother have been an indomitable team since they were children. When their marriage didn't work out, Biden introduced her to her next husbandhis best friend from Syracuse Law School, John "Jack" Owens. ", As The Washington Post noted, even with the arrival of two younger brothers, Jim and Frank, the "personal partnership" between Owens and Biden couldn't be broken, and it's intact to this day. Valerie Biden Owens wanted to remove everything Trump "touched" from the Oval Office after he left. Her many achievements also include impressive keynote addresses at Harvard Law School and around the world, plus being chosen to serve as the Alternate Representative of the United States to the 71st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations by President Obama. and has played an instrumental if underrated role in many of his successes. Like its . Ive lived here all my life. Do the sources know the information? Mr. Biden has emphasized his ability to work across the aisle with Republicans. So your daughter did work some magic a little bit? She helped to found the Owens-Patrick seminar group. . ", The 2020 election marked the first time that Owens had no official role, and it took some adjusting. I buy overpriced clothes. Owens and her first husband, Bruce, moved in with Joe Biden and his sons in order to provide the care that Beau and Hunter needed. The Biden campaign would not disclose Ms. Owens standard speaking fee. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Mikayla Bouchard, Stella Tan, Lauren Jackson, Julia Simon, Mahima Chablani and Nora Keller. [17] Owens currently sits on the advisory board for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Public Policy Institute. And this wasnt the first time that Biden had lost family members. Owens, 42, is a lawyer, the Washington Post reports. Owens managed for Joe Biden's 1988 presidential campaign. And Im sure he had close ties with his son what you gonna think? A white supremacist walked into a predominantly African-American church and opened fire and killed nine people. Ms. Alexander, the spokeswoman for the Biden campaign, said both women brought impeccable academic and professional credentials to their government jobs. King's previous husband, former big league slugger Jim Edmonds, whom she shares three children with, . Would you please look at him and what do you think about him? I was building the campaign for Joe," Owens recalled of the campaign. In my spirit, yes, I feel they are. Seriously? She went from thinking that the candidate she chooses has to appeal to moderate Republicans, to embracing the Sanders framework of how you beat Trump by motivating a cross-section of voters across races and generations. The African-American community in South Carolina can make a judgment about who the next president on this stage is going to be. But this area doesnt have anything. What would be success for Joe Biden in South Carolina? How many how big was your family? Go for it. It was an example of what many people dont like about Washington, said Michael J.G. Two years later, Ms. Owens and her family moved out of her brothers home. Lisa Rowe is a sociopath, the biggest exasperation for the staff - like Nurse Valerie Owens - and the biggest influence on the other girls in the hospital. One brother, James Biden, took charge of raising money. [32] I think its Joe Biden., I mean, in some ways, thats what the campaign is, the message that its giving to its supporters is, right? And while I was in Washington or on the road, Val was there every day." Biden's wife and infant daughter, Naomi, were killed in the accident; their sons, Hunter and Beau, were in the hospital with injuries. Anyone can read what you share. It was a who can win? But he added, I absolutely know, Joe Biden never got us any campaigns, Mr. White said. We need someone who can scream loud. That Owens is the owner of Dominion Voting Systems, which sells "end-to-end election solutions," including voting hardware and software. And I said, yeah, Ill come. Biden lived up to the hype. "She was there beginning, middle and end; morning, noon and night, Sen. Christopher A. Coons, who knows the Biden family, told The Washington Post. My goal is a movie for "America Huh! Valerie Biden Owens served as co-chair of the Biden campaign during the 2020 presidential election and led all seven of his U.S. Senate campaigns. Owens' husband, John, also appeared to benefit from . Im not sure he ever got over that. Owens also told APin 2020 that "from the time I can remember, I opened my eyes, and he was there. As vice president, Joe Biden flies down to South Carolina, goes to the church . Black people generally go to church. As Senator Chris Coons told The New York Times, "Val was the critical anchor who helped Joe decide he was going to remain in the Senate, and to decide he was going to go on with life. Valerie and Jack's bickering throughout Biden's first senate campaign didn't improve the relationship. We werent real people. Nevertheless, Owens calls it "a great gift, because he did not let the stuttering define him. There is no relationship with Stephen Owens, co-founder of a private equity firm. Cuffe's mother is Valerie Biden Owens, a political strategist who worked as a senior advisor on POTUS' 2020 presidential campaign. So I voted for Joe. Speaking to Insider in 2020, Owens said that her older brother was a big dreamerand that he always took her along for the ride. Bishop Myers says he just had a good feeling about Biden. [CHEERING] Greenville, thank you very much. Do you remember when you first heard Tom Steyers name? It was just a month after Joe Biden lost his son that a terrible tragedy happened in South Carolina. Mr. Biden had remarried. Mr. Bidens campaign said Hunter Bidens firm worked on the account but he was not involved and received no payments from it. And this group has decided that there are pieces here, there, there and there that it likes. Still, she remained heavily involved in the journey, and was one of the voices encouraging him to run and keep his spirits up when the campaign took hits. We had a lack of transportation, public transportation. [29][30][31], The University of Delaware bestowed an Honorary Doctorate of Law to her in 2018. Yesterday, I went to church and I prayed about it, and I think, you know, that he really is going to win. While Biden once proclaimed that his sister "has not only believed in me, she has helped me believe in myself," Owens gushed, "Joe and I tend to think along the same lines. Valerie Biden is Joey's sister and John Owens is his brother in law. Thats why South Carolinians are choosing Tom Steyer. You dont have to spend a lot of time guessing.. Nine out of 10 times, we have the same intuitive reaction to things." Were from The New York Times. Thats what this is. A spokesperson for Staple Street . A memoir from Valerie Biden Owens, longtime political strategist, one of the first female campaign managers in United States history, and younger sister of Joe Biden. Much of that money was passed through to broadcasting outlets and not retained by Joe Slade White & Company. Its like getting to heaven or going to hell. As deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told BuzzFeed News in 2020, Owens "is kind of the connective tissue throughout the course of the campaigns from '72 to today. In a report, the left-leaning organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said that, while legal, such payments had the potential for abuse. But I teased them and said Bernie Sanders is never going to be my candidate. It takes, it takes something special to deal with it. It may just be that he wants to kind of be that moderate voice, that voice of moderation. Now, Owens finds herself at the door of the White House, with her older brother as always. The group ranked Mr. Biden among the top five senators paying the most money in salaries or fees to family members. Mr. Bidens 2002 campaign paid Ms. Owens $51,286 in salary and made $3,618 in payments to her daughter Casey. Right? Joe Biden Sr. later became a successful used car salesman, maintaining the family a middle-class lifestyle. ", Although Valerie Biden Owens told PBS' Frontline that she "wasn't building a rsum for a political future," but merely "building the campaign for Joe" when she put her job on hold to help Joe Biden run for the US Senate in 1972, she's managed to do just that. She added, "And you don't get up by stepping on somebody else's face or kicking them in the back. And I spend too much on where I eat, OK? Listen, we didnt have those services because, you know, we didnt count. When Neilia died, my sister was the person I trusted completely with my sons.. Thats absolutely true. We had a meeting, and he was there, pastors and certain church leaders. Jack and Valerie Owens, at their home on their own wedding anniversary. You can reach Joe. Astead. So 10 miles so the closest doctor, five-mile walk on the dirt road to school, is that because Lower Richland is black? Im as capitalist as they come. One Facebook post even showed a photo of Joe Biden with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and said the latter was actually "his brother-in-law Stephen D Owens owner of Dominion voting system!" When I went to school, I had to walk about five miles to go to school as a kid. In 2008, a Washington-based good government group took issue with his Senate campaigns payments to relatives, which included Ms. Owens. Why do you think so many politicians come to churches in South Carolina? I mean, thats shock of all shocks. [CHEERING], We were told that it was going to rain, and thered be a small turnout. I know my chances were a lot better being his brother-in-law. / CBS News. Two things have happened since we had last spoke. Cuffe Biden Owens hails from Los Angeles, California, USA. Theyre saying, lets go back to normal. The Biden campaign declined repeated requests to interview Ms. Owens for this article, but provided a statement: Anyone who meets Valerie can immediately see her innate talent and intrinsic skill, said Elizabeth Alexander, a campaign spokeswoman. Oh, yeah, Im for Joe Biden! I never want anyone to ever say that money could buy my vote. When Joe Biden, then a lawyer and not yet 30 years old, decided to run in the 1972 . ", Owens also spoke of that notion, which she called "the doctrine of resilience," with PBS' Frontline, revealing how her mother taught all four of her kids "that failure would happen in everyone's life, but giving up was unforgivable." I just, I just knew that if it was not Joe, who would it be? A frequent surrogate for Joseph R. Biden Jr. on the campaign trail, Ms. Owens has a rsum that reveals how politics, business and family converge for the Bidens. Nobody. Valerie Biden's husband (John Owens) tried to get Hunter Biden's help in acquiring a business license in China back in 2014. SWANSEA, S.C. Valerie Biden Owens traveled past swamps, harvested fields and parked tractors to a small church, where she stepped off a bus to address voters. That hes been there, that they know him and that they trust him. I wish I could say something that would ease the pain of the families and of the church. Valerie Owens, founder and owner of Breck and Vale Clothing Co., sits in a rare pocket of silence on her couch. I did not give it much credence. Reverend Dr. Holt, thank you for inviting me into Gods house today. Ms. Owens managed the campaign, while her brother was out knocking on doors and shaking hands. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts", "The Frontline Interview: Valerie Biden Owens", "University of Delaware Statement accessed 11/7/2020", "Joe Biden's Sister Isn't Running The Campaign This Time And It's "Damn Frustrating", "Politics, Money, Siblings: The Ties Between Joe Biden and Valerie Biden Owens", "Biden Relies on His Closest Adviser, His Sister (Published 2008)", "The Contribution Code: Three B's That Make All the Difference", "Q&A: Valerie Biden Owens, from Joe's manager to proud sister", "Advisory Board Members | MGM Resorts Public Policy Institute at UNLV | University of Nevada, Las Vegas", "Biden's sister, Valerie, at his side for 74 years and for one final goal", "Analysis | Joe Biden's victory speech, annotated", "Statement from Vice President Joe Biden", Valerie Biden New York Times Wedding Announcement, "Biden family does not own Dominion Voting Systems", "Cuffe Biden Owens, President Biden's nephew, marries former 'Real Housewives' star Meghan O'Toole King", "Inside Meghan King's Split From Husband Cuffe Owens: What Went Wrong? Owens' first husband was Bruce Saunders, whom she married shortly after graduating college. By caring for his sons, Owens allowed Biden to begin his Senate career. As per the sources, he has two sisters in the family named Valerie James Owens (also known as Missy Owens) and Catherine Eugenia Owens (also known as Casey Owens Castello). And if Biden doesnt win, and win decisively, it could completely erode his chances at the Democratic nomination. In South Carolina, more than 65 percent of the Democratic electorate is made up of black voters. She had her talking points memorized. You either go to heaven or go to hell. What's more, while working for media consulting firm Joe Slade White & Co., the company was paid "about $1.6 million" by the 2008 Biden campaign (although Owens made it clear that she "took a leave" from the company at that time). 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