Former Vice President Joe Biden, in an online video Thursday, officially declared his candidacy for president in 2020, capping off weeks of intrigue and media speculation.
He enters a crowded field of Democratic contenders aiming to unseat President Trump.
The former Delaware Senator has for weeks been rallying potential donors in an effort to gain momentum, noting that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Beto O’Rourke managed to raise $6 million within 24 hours of launching their candidacy.
“The core values of this nation… our standing in the world… our very democracy…everything that has made America — America –is at stake. That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for President of the United States,” he tweeted early Thursday.
The core values of this nation… our standing in the world… our very democracy…everything that has made America — America –is at stake. That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for President of the United States. #Joe2020 https://t.co/jzaQbyTEz3
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 25, 2019
Biden is expected to follow up the announcement with his first high-dollar fundraiser in the Philadelphia home of Comcast executive David Cohen Thursday evening and appear at a local union hall in Pittsburgh on Monday.
In June of 1987, Biden launched a bid for the 1988 Democratic nomination. The then-senator from Delaware was considered one of the stronger candidates in the emerging Democratic field. But three months into his campaign, he faced newspaper headlines that he had plagiarized a speech by British politician Neil Kinnock. The incident sparked a controversy, knocking Biden out of the race well before the start of the primaries and caucuses.
Biden ran a second time for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 cycle, declaring his candidacy in January of 2007. Despite his long record, his campaign never caught lightning in a bottle.
There were also some well-publicized gaffes, including his description of then-Sen. Barack Obama.
“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” Biden said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” The comments quickly spelled trouble for Biden, forcing him to apologize.
Biden’s bid was also overshadowed by Obama and then-Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, who ended up battling each other in an historic and marathon quest for the nomination. Biden dropped out of the race after coming in fifth in the Iowa caucus, grabbing less than one percent of the vote.
But seven months later, Obama selected Biden as his running mate. The pair won the November 2008 election, and were re-elected in 2012.
Biden seriously considered another run for the White House in 2016, but grappling with the death of his eldest son Beau, the Vice President announced in October of 2015 that he would not launch a campaign.
Speaking from the podium at the Rose Garden, Biden explained that he had been emotionally drained by the death of his son and stressed that “nobody has a right … to seek that office unless they’re willing to give it 110 percent of who they are.”
But the decision not to run haunted him. He noted in early 2016 that he regretted not running “every day.”
Donald Trump’s upset victory over Clinton in the 2016 presidential election changed the dynamic for Biden. He soon became a vocal critic of the Republican in the White House, and speculation sprang up that Biden would consider a final presidential bid in 2020. Trips to New Hampshire in 2017 and to Iowa, South Carolina, and Iowa in 2018 fueled the flames.
Biden dropped a major hint of his pending 2020 campaign in early March. After walking to the podium at the annual convention of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to chants of “run Joe, run,” by the union crowd, Biden said “I appreciate the energy you showed when I got up here. Save it a little longer. I may need it in a few weeks.”
The comments brought a standing ovation from the mostly blue-collar audience that Biden feels he can count on as he runs for president.
In early April, Biden told reporters “I am very close to making a decision to stand before you all relatively soon.” Asked why the hold-up, Biden quickly answered, “The hold-up is to put everything together.”
At the time, Biden also pushed back against the perception that he’s a moderate in a party that’s increasingly moving to the left. He defended himself, saying he’ll stack his record against “anybody who has run or who is running now or who will run.”
