SAFETY, OR WELFARE. BACK OVER TO YOU. JAZMIN: IN COMMITMENT 2020 COVERAGE, THERE ARE BOTH FEDERAL AND LOCAL RACES TO TALK ABOUT THIS MORNING, BEGINNING WITH THE BIG NEWS THAT DEMOCRAT JOE BIDEN SELECTED KAMALA HARRIS TO BE HIS RUNNING MATE. WESH 2 NEWS POLITICAL REPORTER GREG FOX JOINS US LIVE NOW TO TALK ABOUT THIS. GREG, AT ONE POINT WE KNOW LOCAL CONGRESSWOMAN VAL DEMINGS WAS AMONG THE VP FRONT RUNNERS. WHAT IS SHE SAYING ABOUT THIS? GREG: YOU KNOW, IT IS DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE LOCAL DEMOCRATS HAVE SEEN HER POLITICAL STAR RISING, AND IT CONTINUES TO RISE PEOPLE CONTINUE TO HAVE A ROLE IN THE FUTURE, BUT SHE PRAISED THE SELECTION OF HARRIS, SAYING IT IS THE BEST SELECTION TO MOVE OUR COUNTRY OR WORD. HARRIS WAS BIG NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION, AND JOE BIDEN WILL JOIN WITH HER ON STAGE WHEN SHE ACCEPTS THE NOMINATION ON THURSDAY. THE DAUGHTER OF INDIAN AND JAMAICAN IMMIGRANTS IS A CALIFORNIA SENATOR, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL, FORMER SAN FRANCISCO DA. SHE BECOMES THE THIRD WOMAN AND FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO BE SELECTED TO RUN FOR VICE PRESIDENT. WE MENTIONED CONGRESSWOMAN DEMINGS. THIS IS HER STATEMENT RELEASED JUST AFTER THE PIC YESTERDAY, "TO BE CONSIDERED DURING THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE HONOR. TO SEE A BLACK WOMAN NOMINATED FOR THE FIRST TIME REAFFIRMS MY FAITH THAT IN AMERICA, THERE IS A PLACE FOR EVERY PERSON TO SUCCEED NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE OR WHERE THEY COME FROM." LATER ON TODAY, BOTH HARRIS AND BIDEN WILL MEET TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DELAWARE. JAZMIN: IT HAS BEEN A LONG PROCESS. BIDEN STARTED OUT WITH LIKE 20 CONTENDERS AND NARROWED IT DOWN TO SENATOR HARRIS. THERE IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT LOCAL RACE IN OSCEOLA COUNTY. WHAT IS THAT ABOUT? GREG: HOUSE 43 IS A RACE WE WILL BE WATCHING, BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY UNUSUAL RACE AND NOT ONLY COVERS THE IMPORTANT AREAS IN OSCEOLA COUNTY, VENTURA LAKES AND THE U.S. 192 BUSINESS DISTRICT, BUT THERE ARE SIX DEMOCRATS RUNNING AND NO REPUBLICANS, NO INDEPENDENTS, NOT WRITE-IN CANDIDATES, SO THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW HOUSE RACES THAT WILL BE DECIDED OUTRIGHT COME TUESDAY. WE TALKED IN A DEBATE WITH FIVE OF THE SIX CANDIDATES. ONE OF THEM CHOSE NOT TO PARTICIPATE. WE TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO DIVERSIFY THE ECONOMY IN OSCEOLA COUNTY IN THE WAKE OF CORONAVIRUS. >> WE HAVE TECH. WE HAVE MANUFACTURING THROUGH VALENCIA COLLEGE. WE NEED TO INVEST MORE IN THOSE PROGRAMS WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO FOR SIX WEEKS AND THEN GET OUT WITH A $60,000 JOB THAT THEY ARE TRAINED ON, AND THOSE JOBS ARE NEEDED. WE HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES LOCALLY BY HAVING THE TECH SCHOOL AND MANUFACTURING FACILITY, BUT WE NEED MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND NEED TO INVEST IN THOSE. >> WE DO NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THE TOURIST-BASED ECONOMY. WE HAVE SEEN KNOW-HOW THAT CAN TRULY HURT THIS COUNTY WHEN YOU HAVE ISSUES LIKE THIS PANDEMIC THAT HAS COMPOUNDED SO MANY OTHER ISSUES THAT WE HAVE HERE. BUT PART OF THAT ISSUE IS MAKING SURE THAT THESE BUSINESSES HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS SO THAT THEY CAN- ACTUALLY PAY THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE REASONABLE WAGES, LIVABLE WAGES, RIGHT HERE IN THIS COUNTY. >> MICKEY MOUSE, LIKE IT OR NOT, HE OWN THIS PLACE. DISNEY WORLD IS THE NUMBER ONE INDUSTRIAL THAT ACTUALLY CONTROLS THE CITY AND COUNTY. WE SAW IT IN THE CORONAVIRUS. HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE THAT? YOU CAN BRING MORE SMALL BUSINESS. BUT HOW IS SMALL BUSINESS IS GOING TO BE IMPACTED IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PEOPLE COMING? YOU CANNOT DEPEND ONLY ON THE LOCAL. UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO CHANGE THAT IMAGE IN OSCEOLA COUNTY. >> WE HAVE FOR LONG TIME DESIGNED AND PRESENTED INTO OUR COMMUNITY ALREADY CALLED NEO-CITY TECHNOLOGY. THAT WAS SIX YEARS AGO. AND THAT IS A LITTLE BIT DIVERSITY IN ECONOMICS HERE. ON 192, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MEDICAL CITY. [INDISCERNIBLE] WE HAVE WHAT IS LIKE SILICON VALLEY, CALLED NEO-CITY, HUGE PROJECT INVOLVING STATE GOVERNMENT AND UNIVERSITY TO ALL DIFFERENT LEVELS. I BELIEVE WE NEED TO INCORPORATE ALL OF THIS INTO THE REGION. >> BY DIVERSIFYING THE ECONOMY, I DO NOT MEAN REPLACING THE TOURISM INDUSTRY WITH ANOTHER INDUSTRY. DISNEY IS THE LARGEST SINGLE SITE EMPLOYER, PRIVATE EMPLOYER, IN THE COUNTRY. WE NEED TO PRESERVE AND CHECK THAT BUT WE NEED TO GROW THE ECONOMY, DIVERSIFY IT, MAKE IT BIGGER. RIGHT NOW WE ARE WHOLLY DEPENDENT ON TOURISM, AND I WANT TO KEEP THOSE DOLLARS ARE FLOWING, BUT WE ALSO NEED NEW HIGH-TECH DOLLARS FOR THE FUTURE HERE. GREG: AGAIN, THIS IS AN OPEN SEAT BECAUSE JOHN CORTEZ CHOSE NOT TO RUN FOR REELECTION AND IS INSTEAD RUNNING FOR CLERK OF COURTS IN OSCEOLA COUNTY. ONCE AGAIN ON TUESDAY, WHOEVER GETS THE MOST VOTES WILL GO TO TALLAHASSEE AND HOUSE 43. JAZMIN: WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS THERE. WE CANNOT TALK ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT CORONAVIRUS. HOW IS THAT IMPACTING VOTE BY MAIL? GREG: I AM CALLING UP THE FIGURES. IT IS SEARCHING, A RECORD. RIGHT NOW, AS OF 8:20 THIS MORNING, 1.7 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE VOTED BY MAIL. AND CITIZEN DATA, A COMPANY THAT TRACKS VOTE BY MAIL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HAS DETERMINED AND PROJECTED THAT ABOUT 43% IN THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION IN FLORIDA WILL VOTE BY MAIL. BY CONTRAST, AS OF THIS MORNING, ABOUT 272,000 PEOPLE HAVE VOTED EARLY. THAT IS WAY DOWN FROM 2016 AND 2018 PRIMARIES. AND A REMINDER, EARLY VOTING