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Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Dr. Anthony Fauci and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are among the nominees for Time's 2020 Person of the Year. The list of nominees for the annual honor bestowed by the publication includes multiple figures who were central to two of the major events that defined 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic amd the 2020 presidential election.
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Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, became a household name amid the pandemic appearing at briefings as a member of the White House coronavirus task force and later drawing criticism from President Donald Trump amid the administration's response to the virus.
Other nominees include New York Gov. Chris Cuomo, who has been praised for his response to the pandemic in a state that early in the year was an epicenter for the virus; Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who faced strong opposition against measures she put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19; and the nation's essential workers who have continued to provide necessary services while facing risk of contracting the virus.
Harris, who served as President-elect Joe Biden's running mate after ending her own bid for president, is set to become the first woman, first Black woman and first Asian person to serve as vice president.
Stacy Abrams, the former 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee for Georgia, also received a nomination following her work to mobilize voters in the state, which voted to elect a Democratic president for the first time since 1992.
Biden and Trump were also nominated.
The list also included Black Lives Matter activists, following protests against racial injustice and police brutality sparked primarily by the police killing of George Floyd.
Readers can vote for their selection online by visiting Time's website and selecting "yes" or "no" for each of the nominees. A winner will be declared on Dec. 10.
Fauci and essential workers were tied for the highest percentage of "yes" votes with 81%, followed by Harris at 68%, Biden at 64%, Black Lives Matter activists at 61% and Abrams at 59%.
