Isabella Carter
Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, has sought the presidency four times. In his first two campaigns in 1988 and 2008, he withdrew before or during the primaries. In his third campaign in 2020, he was elected president, defeating incumbent Donald Trump. In his fourth campaign in 2024, he won the Democratic primary but withdrew before the election. Biden's 2020 campaign was marked by the coronavirus pandemic, which he used to critise Trump's management of the crisis. Biden's campaign spent 83% of its Facebook ad funding on targeting voters 45 years and older. He chose Kamala Harris as his running mate, making them the first major party ticket to include a woman of colour. Biden's political career has also seen him serve as vice president from 2009 to 2017 and in the United States Senate from 1973 until 2009.
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What You'll Learn
1988 Democratic nomination
Joe Biden's 1988 presidential campaign began in June 1987, when he was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Delaware. At the age of 44, Biden became one of the official candidates for the Democratic nomination, delivering his candidacy speech at the Wilmington train station on June 9, 1987. In his speech, Biden encouraged Americans to rise above materialism and individualism, recalling the language of John F. Kennedy. He also laid out his platform, which included a middle stance between protectionism and free trade, and opposition to the Reagan administration's policies.
Biden was initially considered a strong candidate, but his campaign soon faced controversy. In September 1987, reports emerged that he had plagiarised a speech by Neil Kinnock, the British Leader of the Opposition and Labour Party Leader. This was followed by further allegations of past plagiarism and exaggerating his academic record. Biden acknowledged the failure to attribute quotes to Kinnock as an oversight, and while the Delaware Supreme Court's Board on Professional Responsibility cleared him of a separate plagiarism charge, he ultimately dropped out of the race on September 23, 1987.
The 1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries were highly competitive, with a large field of candidates. The eventual nominee, Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, emerged after a series of primary elections and caucuses, culminating in the Democratic National Convention in July 1988. Biden's 1988 campaign lapses did not significantly impact his future political endeavours, and he went on to become the 47th vice president in 2009 and the 46th president of the United States in 2021.
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2008 presidential campaign
Joe Biden, a former U.S. senator from Delaware, began his 2008 presidential campaign when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States on the January 7, 2007, edition of Meet the Press. He officially became a candidate on January 31, 2007, after filing papers with the Federal Election Commission. During the campaign, Biden focused on his plan to achieve political success in the Iraq War through a system of federalization. He touted his record in the Senate as the head of several committees and his experience in foreign policy.
Biden's 2008 campaign was marred by controversial comments. On the same day he launched his run for the presidency, the media reported that he had described another candidate, Barack Obama, as "the first sort of mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean." Reporters dug up other instances unrelated to Obama when Biden's casual comments had sounded racially insensitive. Biden also stated in a speech to a group of Indian-Americans in Manchester, New Hampshire, that he had a great relationship with the Indian-American community: "I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian Americans—moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent."
Despite a few notable endorsements, Biden failed to garner significant support in opinion polls. On January 3, 2008, he ended his presidential bid after finishing in fifth place and capturing less than 1% of the vote in the Iowa caucus. Biden raised $2,343,639 in the second quarter of 2007, with the most support coming from the state of New York, which donated $571,800. He raised nearly $2 million in the third quarter of 2007.
Seven months after the conclusion of his campaign, Biden was selected to be Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's running mate. The pair won the election, defeating John McCain and Sarah Palin, and Biden became the 47th Vice President of the United States.
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2020 presidential campaign
Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was his third attempt at securing the US presidency, and it proved successful. He announced his candidacy on April 25, 2019, and framed his campaign as a battle for the soul of the nation, citing President Trump's reaction to the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, as a key motivation for his run.
Biden's campaign strategy was notably different from that of his opponent, Trump. Due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, Biden limited public rallies, and when he did appear at campaign events, supporters listened from their cars. In contrast, Trump held rallies with crowded supporters, often without masks. Biden made Trump's handling of the pandemic a cornerstone of his campaign, criticising the mixed messages sent by the president, who both criticised Biden and reporters for wearing masks and also encouraged their use at times. Biden's campaign spent 83% of his total $1.2 million Facebook ad funding on targeting voters 45 years and older.
Biden became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party on April 8, 2020, after senator Bernie Sanders withdrew from the race. Biden kept to his promise to name a woman as his running mate, selecting Kamala Harris, a former attorney general of California and a senator of Black and Indian descent. The Democratic National Convention, held from August 17 to 20, was a mostly virtual event, featuring celebrity hosts, musical performances, and brief appearances by politicians, activists, and average Americans. Biden's ticket was formally nominated at the convention on August 18.
The 2020 election saw the highest voter turnout by percentage since 1900, and Biden received more than 81 million votes, the most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate in US history. Biden defeated incumbent president Trump, and his running mate, Mike Pence, and was elected the 46th president of the United States.
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2024 presidential campaign
Joe Biden's 2024 presidential campaign was his fourth bid for the presidency. In his campaign, Biden made defending American democracy the cornerstone of his platform, frequently drawing attention to former president Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, which culminated in the January 6 Capitol attack. Biden's campaign messaging framed the 2024 election as a battle for democracy and the "soul of America", echoing his successful 2020 campaign, where he defeated Trump.
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Biden pointed to his previous passage of several acts as part of his platform, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Chips and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the American Rescue Plan Act, which was intended to speed up economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden also dubbed his economic policy "Bidenomics" and promised to create middle-class jobs and reject trickle-down economics.
On March 28, 2024, Biden held a large campaign event with former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, announcing that he had raised over $26 million, a record for a single political event. However, following the first 2024 presidential debate, Biden faced criticism from some Democrats for his performance, which led to questions about his health and age, and whether he should remain the Democratic candidate. Biden faced opposition during the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries from U.S. Representative Dean Phillips, who campaigned as a younger alternative to Biden.
On July 21, 2024, Biden withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who became his running mate in the 2020 election. Harris' campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, and she lost the election to Trump.
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Biden-Harris Administration
Joe Biden, the former president of the United States, has sought the presidency four times. In his first two campaigns (1988 and 2008), he withdrew before or during the primaries. In his third (2020), he was elected president, defeating incumbent Donald Trump. In his fourth (2024), he won the Democratic primary but withdrew before the election after a poor performance in the first debate, endorsing Vice President Harris.
The Biden-Harris Administration championed racial equity and equal opportunity for underserved communities through landmark legislation. President Biden kept his promise to fix problems in the student loan program that had hurt borrowers. The Inflation Reduction Act made the largest investment in climate and clean energy in history. President Biden brought manufacturing back to America while creating new, well-paying jobs. He also campaigned with a bold vision of tackling the climate crisis with the urgency demanded by science. Biden's campaign was largely premised on his character – his decency, empathy, and perceived electability against Trump. Biden's campaign spent 83% of his total $1.2 million Facebook ad funding on targeting voters 45 and older.
Biden's 2020 campaign was marked by the coronavirus pandemic, with Biden limiting public rallies, and supporters listening from their cars when he did appear at events. In contrast, Trump held rallies with supporters crowded together, often without masks. Biden made Trump's failed management of the pandemic a cornerstone of his campaign. Biden's campaign was also marked by racial issues. Biden presented himself as the candidate who could rid the country of Trump's divisive politics and work to heal political polarization. Biden's campaign was endorsed by over 175 current and former law enforcement officials, as well as Scientific American, which was the first time the magazine had endorsed a candidate in its almost 200-year history.
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Frequently asked questions
Joe Biden has sought the presidency four times, in 1988, 2008, 2020, and 2024.
Yes, Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, defeating incumbent Donald Trump.
Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was marked by the coronavirus pandemic, with Biden limiting public rallies and supporters listening from their cars. Biden's campaign focused on Trump's failed management of the pandemic, and he was endorsed by over 175 current and former law enforcement officials. Biden also promised to name a woman as his running mate, choosing Kamala Harris, a former attorney general of California and a senator of Black and Indian descent.
