“He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for his bold action on climate change,” according to the White House.

Former Sen. John F. Kerry

The Massachusetts lawmaker was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and later became secretary of State under Obama. He has garnered praise from Democrats and scorn for Republicans for his role in a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Biden honored his six decades of service, calling him a “patriot of the highest order” and noted Kerry was awarded a Silver Star for his service in Vietnam.

Until earlier this year, Kerry was Biden’s global climate change czar — another post at which Republicans used to take jabs.

During his unsuccessful 2004 campaign against then-President George W. Bush, a new term for turning a candidate’s biographical asset into an attack was coined: “Swift-boating.” Republicans made a list of accusations about Kerry’s record as the captain of a small Navy ship during the Vietnam War.

Late Sen. Frank Lautenberg

The Democrat, who died in 2013, was the only New Jersey senator to win five terms and became an influential member of the Appropriations Committee. “Frank is remembered as a tireless advocate for consumers, public health and safety,” said Biden, who served alongside Lautenberg in the Senate.

The New York Times described him as “never a flashy senator,” adding in an obituary that he “had a consistently liberal voting record. Americans for Democratic Action said he had voted liberal 94 percent of the time.”

He was perhaps best known for taking on the tobacco and alcohol industries, pushing to ban smoking on airplanes and battle drunken driving. But those were not his only issues. “He is remembered for his critical work on environmental protection and consumer safety across a number of fields,” according to the White House summary.

Former Rep. Elizabeth Dole

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