HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Former vice president Joe Biden began his presidential campaign on April 25, 2019 by releasing a video announcing his candidacy in the
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 Uni ...
. The campaign concluded with him and his running mate Kamala Harris defeating incumbent president Donald Trump and vice president Mike Pence in the
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
. Biden, the vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 and a former
U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...
from Delaware, had been the subject of widespread speculation as a potential 2020 candidate after declining to be a candidate in the 2016 election, which saw Donald Trump winning over Hillary Clinton, who was supported by Biden. Biden is generally described as a moderate, although he has recently described himself as
progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...
. His positions include codifying '' Roe v. Wade'' into statute, a
public option The public health insurance option, also known as the public insurance option or the public option, is a proposal to create a government-run health insurance agency that would compete with other private health insurance companies within the United ...
for health insurance, decriminalization of recreational cannabis, passing the Equality Act, free
community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
, and a $1.7 trillion climate plan embracing the framework of the
Green New Deal Green New Deal (GND) proposals call for public policy to address climate change along with achieving other social aims like job creation and reducing economic inequality. The name refers back to the New Deal, a set of social and economic re ...
. He supports regulation, as opposed to a complete ban, on fracking. As a former vice president and longtime United States senator, Biden entered the race with very high name recognition. From his campaign announcement up to the start of the elections, he was generally regarded as the Democratic front-runner. He led most national polls through 2019, but did not rank as one of the top three candidates in either the Iowa caucuses or the
New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa caucuses) held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choosi ...
. After underperfoming expectations in those contests, he suffered a decline in his polling and lost his frontrunner status to
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 200 ...
. Biden started regaining ground after winning second place in the Nevada cauccuses and, on February 29, 2020, he won a landslide victory in the
2020 South Carolina Democratic primary The 2020 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary took place on February 29, 2020 and was the fourth nominating contest in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 presidential election. The South Carolina primary was an open prima ...
which reinvigorated his campaign. In March 2020, ten of his former competitors endorsed Biden, bringing the total number of such endorsements to 12. Biden earned enough delegates on Super Tuesday 2020 to pull ahead of Sanders. On April 8, after Sanders suspended his campaign, Biden became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. In June, Biden reached the required number of delegates to become the nominee. On August 11, Biden announced that Senator Kamala Harris would be his vice presidential running mate. On August 18 and 19, Biden and Harris were officially nominated at the
2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...
, making Harris the first
Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...
and the first female
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket. National opinion polls conducted in 2020 generally showed Biden leading Trump in favorability. On November 7, four days after Election Day, Biden was projected to have defeated Trump, becoming president-elect of the United States, however, this was disputed by the incumbent president, Donald Trump. Biden was the first vice president to be elected president since George H. W. Bush in
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...
, and the second non-incumbent vice president to be elected president after Richard Nixon in
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
. Biden and Harris were sworn in on January 20, 2021.


Background


Previous presidential campaigns

Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was his third attempt to seek election for president of the United States. His first campaign was made in the 1988 Democratic Party primaries where he was initially considered one of the potentially strongest candidates. However, newspapers revealed plagiarism by Biden in law school records and in speeches, a scandal which led to his withdrawal from the race in September 1987. He made the second attempt during the 2008 Democratic Party primaries, where he focused on his plan to achieve political success in the Iraq War through a system of federalization. Like his first presidential bid, Biden failed to garner endorsements and support. He withdrew from the race after his poor performance in the
Iowa caucus The Iowa caucuses are biennial electoral events for members of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Unlike primary elections in most other U.S. states, where registered voters go to polling places to cast ballo ...
on January 3, 2008. He was eventually chosen by
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
as his running mate and won the general election as vice president of the United States, being sworn in on January 20, 2009.


Speculation

Vice President Joe Biden was seen as a potential candidate to succeed President Barack Obama in the 2016 presidential election. On October 21, 2015, following the death of his son Beau, Biden announced that he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. During a tour of the U.S. Senate with reporters on December 5, 2016, Biden refused to rule out a potential bid for the presidency in the
2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: ** ...
. He reasserted his ambivalence about running on an appearance of ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic commun ...
'' on December 7, in which he stated "never say never" about running for president in 2020, while also admitting he did not see a scenario in which he would run for office again. He seemingly announced on January 13, 2017, exactly one week prior to the expiration of his vice presidential term, that he would not run. However, four days later, he seemed to backtrack, stating "I'll run if I can walk." In September 2017, Biden's daughter
Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...
indicated her belief that he was thinking about running in 2020.


Time for Biden

Time for Biden, a political action committee, was formed in January 2018, seeking Biden's entry into the
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 Uni ...
. The organization was criticized by some, who felt it was created too early and that Democratic effort should be spent on the
2018 midterm elections The 2018 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. These midterm elections occurred during Republican Donald Trump's term. Democrats made a net gain of 41 seats in the United States House of Representatives, gaining a maj ...
. The ''Time for Biden'' was also criticized as many thought that Biden was too old, and wanted more young progressive candidates going into the primary cycle.


Considering his options

In February 2018, Biden informed a group of longtime foreign policy aides that he was "keeping his 2020 options open". In March 2018, '' Politico'' reported that Biden's team was considering a number of options to distinguish their campaign, such as announcing at the outset a younger vice presidential candidate from outside of politics, and also reported that Biden had rejected a proposition to commit to serving only one term as president. On July 17, 2018, he told a forum held in Bogota, Colombia, that he would decide if he would formally declare as a candidate by January 2019. On February 4, with no decision having been forthcoming from Biden, Edward-Isaac Dovere of '' The Atlantic'' wrote that Biden was "very close to saying yes" but that some close to him are worried he will have a last-minute change of heart, as he did in 2016. Dovere reported that Biden was concerned about the effect another presidential run could have on his family and reputation, as well as fundraising struggles and perceptions about his age and relative centrism compared to other declared and potential candidates. Conversely, his "sense of duty", offense at the Trump presidency, the lack of foreign policy experience among other Democratic hopefuls and his desire to foster "bridge-building progressivism" in the party were said to be factors prompting him to run.


Campaign


Announcement

On March 12, 2019, he told a gathering of his supporters he may need their energy "in a few weeks". Five days later, Biden accidentally revealed that he would be a candidate at a dinner in Dover, Delaware. On April 19, 2019, '' The Atlantic'' reported that Biden planned to officially announce his campaign five days later via a video announcement, followed by a launch rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or
Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...
. Charlottesville was the subject of Biden's kick-off campaign video due to its white supremacist riot in 2017. In the days before his expected launch, several major Democratic donors received requests to donate to his campaign committee, to be named "Biden for President". Subsequent reports indicated that Biden's plans remained uncertain, with no known launch date, locations for campaign rallies, or permits for an event in Philadelphia; associates continued to plan a fundraiser on April 25 in Philadelphia hosted by Comcast executive vice president
David L. Cohen David L. Cohen (born 1955) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Canada. He previously served as the senior advisor to the CEO of Comcast Corporation. Until January 1, 2020, he was ...
, but it was unclear whether the fundraiser would be held as planned, though his associates had continued to solicit donations in the days leading up to his announcement. On April 23, it was reported that Biden would formally enter the race two days later, so as to avoid overshadowing a forum focusing on women of color held the day before. The campaign reserved the Teamsters Local 249 union hall in Pittsburgh for April 29. On May 22, the magazine '' Ebony'' reported that Biden had begun assembling his 2020 presidential campaign team, to be headquartered in Philadelphia. His team included campaign manager Greg Schultz and director of strategic communications Kamau Mandela Marshall, who both previously worked in the Obama administration, as well as other senior advisors from the Obama administration. Additionally, on May 31, the Biden campaign announced that Congressman
Cedric Richmond Cedric Levan Richmond (born September 13, 1973) is an American attorney, politician, and political advisor who served as a senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in the Biden administration. ...
would join the campaign as the national co-chairman.


Key people

*
Steve Ricchetti Steven J. Ricchetti is an American political aide serving as a Counselor to the President under President Joe Biden. He was the chairman of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. Ricchetti previously served as Chief of Staff to Vice Presid ...
, campaign chairman * Mike Donilon, chief strategist * Greg Schultz, 1st campaign manager *
Jen O'Malley Dillon Jennifer Brigid O'Malley Dillon (born September 28, 1976) is an American political strategist and campaign manager serving as the White House deputy chief of staff under President Joe Biden. She was the manager of Biden's 2020 presidential campa ...
, 2nd campaign manager * Anita Dunn, senior advisor * Symone Sanders, senior advisor *
Ron Klain Ronald Alan Klain ( ; born August 8, 1961) is an American attorney, political consultant, and former lobbyist serving as White House chief of staff under President Joe Biden. A Democrat, he was previously chief of staff to two vice presidents ...
, former Chief of Staff to the Vice President, senior advisor * Valerie Biden Owens, sister of Joe Biden, senior advisor


Economic policy

* Jeffrey Zients, former Director of the National Economic Council * Jared Bernstein, Former Chief Economics Advisor to Joe Biden *
Heather Boushey Heather Marie BousheyThe New York Times''Weddings/Celebrations; Heather Boushey, Todd Tucker'' accessed August 25, 2011. (born 1970) is an American economist. Boushey currently serves as a member of President Joe Biden's Council of Economic Adv ...
, economist * Ben Harris, former Chief Economist and Chief Economic Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden


Fundraising and strategy

On April 26, 2019, Biden's campaign announced that they had raised $6.3 million in the first 24 hours, surpassing all other candidates' first 24-hour fundraising totals for the Democratic presidential nomination at that time. Biden's fundraising came from 128,000 unique contributors, equivalent to that of
Beto O'Rourke Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke ( , ; ; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, O'Rourke was the party's nominee for the U.S. Senate i ...
's campaign, but about 40% lower than that of
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 200 ...
, who had 223,000 unique contributors in the first 24 hours of his campaign. According to a ''Politico'' article, the Biden campaign was operating on the premise that the Democratic base is not nearly as liberal or youthful as perceived. Privately, several Biden advisers acknowledged that their theory was based on polling data and voting trends, contending that the media is pushing the idea of a hyper-progressive Democratic electorate being propagated by a Twitter bubble and being out of touch with the average rank-and-file Democrat. In April 2019, Biden told reporters, "The fact of the matter is the vast majority of the members of the Democratic Party are still basically liberal to moderate Democrats in the traditional sense." Biden also described himself as an "Obama-Biden Democrat". An unspecified Biden adviser said, "There's a big disconnect between the media narrative and what the primary electorate looks like and thinks, versus the media narrative and the Twitter narrative ndthe Democratic primary universe is far less liberal. It's older than you think it is." From April 25 to May 25, 2019, Biden's campaign spent 83% of his total $1.2 million Facebook ad funding on targeting voters 45 years and older. No other top 2020 Democratic candidate has pursued a similar strategy in the primary. Biden, along with Bernie Sanders, was often perceived as the candidate with the best chance of defeating Donald Trump in the general election. According to '' The Washington Post'', this may be because of his more moderate policies, or it may be because voters or party leaders believe a white male candidate is more "electable". Joe Biden said that his late son Beau should be running instead of him if he were alive. Biden led most national polls through 2019. The Biden campaign came to rely on volunteer groups such as the Biden Digital Coalition for their social media presence and for tracking disinformation. The campaign raised $70 million during the
2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...
. The campaign and DNC combined raised a record $365 million in August 2020, compared to $154 million by Trump and the RNC. Biden raised another $383 million in September 2020, breaking his own record from the previous month.


Early primary election results

During the Iowa caucuses held on February 3, 2020, Biden came in fourth place, earning six pledged delegates. In the
New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa caucuses) held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choosi ...
held on February 11, Biden came in fifth place and did not earn any delegates due to his failure to meet the required 15% eligibility threshold. After poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, some media outlets questioned whether Biden's status as the most electable candidate was accurate. Biden subsequently finished a distant second in the Nevada caucuses held on February 22, but his campaign viewed his large support among black voters in the state as a sign of strength heading into the South Carolina primary. Biden won the South Carolina primary election held on February 29. Biden won all 46 counties in the state, winning 48.7% of the popular vote and earning 39 delegates. The win was largely attributed to his support from 61% of African-American voters (African-American voters make up approximately 60% of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina). Before the primary on February 26,
Jim Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He has served as House Majority Whip since 2019. He is a two-time maj ...
endorsed Biden. Many cited Clyburn's endorsement as a reason for Biden's wide margin of victory, as Clyburn's endorsement is a deciding factor for many African American voters in South Carolina. Thirty-six percent of all primary voters said that they made their decision after Clyburn's endorsement; of that total, 70% voted for Biden. According to '' FiveThirtyEight'', the outcome significantly boosted Biden's chance of winning multiple Super Tuesday states (especially southern states like North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia). In early March, shortly before Super Tuesday, Pete Buttigieg and
Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Minne ...
dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden, widely perceived as attempts to slow down Sanders' momentum in the primaries.
Beto O'Rourke Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke ( , ; ; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, O'Rourke was the party's nominee for the U.S. Senate i ...
,
Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. s ...
and Kamala Harris, who had all suspended their campaign months before, also endorsed Biden at around the same time. On the Super Tuesday primary elections on March 3, Biden won Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, earning a total of 458 delegates, and pulling ahead of Bernie Sanders in the race. According to an exit poll, Biden received a substantial amount of support from voters who made up their minds in the last few days before the election. Late voters also preferred a candidate who they believed could defeat Trump more than one who agreed with them on issues. On March 9,
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
reported that Biden had a double-digit lead over Sanders in a nationwide poll. On March 12, with the coronavirus pandemic looming, Biden changed campaign managers, replacing Greg Schultz with
Jen O'Malley Dillon Jennifer Brigid O'Malley Dillon (born September 28, 1976) is an American political strategist and campaign manager serving as the White House deputy chief of staff under President Joe Biden. She was the manager of Biden's 2020 presidential campa ...
. In mid-March, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the scheduled primaries were
postponed Postponed (foaled 4 April 2011) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won one minor race as a two-year-old before establishing himself as a useful middle-distance performer in the following year with wins in the Glasgow S ...
. Aides to both Biden's and Sanders's campaigns were in contact regarding the pandemic and its effects.


Nomination

Leading up to the 11th Democratic presidential debate, Biden announced two new progressive policies: making public colleges and universities tuition-free for students of families whose income is less than $125,000, and allowing for student loan debts to default during bankruptcy. The debate was held on March 15, 2020, and was the first to feature only the race's two lead finalists. Biden announced that if he secured the nomination, he would choose a female running mate, having previously hinted as much by naming several contenders. On April 3, Biden announced that his campaign would unveil a committee to vet prospective vice presidential candidates later in the month. On March 15,
Jen O'Malley Dillon Jennifer Brigid O'Malley Dillon (born September 28, 1976) is an American political strategist and campaign manager serving as the White House deputy chief of staff under President Joe Biden. She was the manager of Biden's 2020 presidential campa ...
was announced as the new campaign manager. On March 25, when asked whether he would debate Sanders again, Biden said, "My focus is just dealing with this crisis right now. I haven't thought about any more debates. I think we've had enough debates. I think we should get on with this." On April 8, after Sanders suspended his campaign, Biden became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Biden became the second candidate in history to lose both the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary and still become the Democratic nominee, the first being former President Bill Clinton in his 1992 campaign. The next day, a former Senate staffer made a sexual assault allegation against Biden, which his campaign denied. On May 1, Biden stated that the allegation was false and requested that the secretary of the Senate work with the National Archives and Records Administration to identify and release any relevant documents. The Senate denied this request, saying personnel files are "strictly confidential". Two weeks later, Biden stated that he does not remember his accuser at all.


Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces

Sanders eventually dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden for
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
on April 13, and the two formed a series of task forces. These task forces aim to bridge the divide between the moderate wing of the Democratic party, represented by Biden, and the left wing of the party, represented by Sanders. On May 13, Biden and Sanders announced that the six task forces would be co-chaired by Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of th ...
, former Secretary of State
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he p ...
, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, former Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy Vivek Hallegere Murthy (born July 10, 1977) is an American physician and a vice admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who has served as the 19th and 21st surgeon general of the United States under Presidents Obama ...
, NILC director Marielena Hincapié, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard,
AFA Afa or AFA may refer to: Mythology and religion *Afa (mythology), in the Polynesian mythology of Samoa * Afá, a West African religion, also known as Ifá in some languages Governmental * Agence française anticorruption, the French Anti-Corrupti ...
president Sara Nelson, Rep.
Karen Bass Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who is serving as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass had previously served in the U.S. ...
, civil rights attorney Chiraag Bains, Rep. Bobby Scott, Dr. Heather Gautney, and Rep.
Marcia Fudge Marcia Louise Fudge (born October 29, 1952) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 18th United States secretary of housing and urban development since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. representative for ...
. Six task forces were formed, each with members representing each candidate, covering climate change,
criminal justice reform Criminal justice reform addresses structural issues in criminal justice systems such as racial profiling, police brutality, overcriminalization, mass incarceration, and recidivism. Criminal justice reform can take place at any point where the crim ...
,
the economy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, education, health care, and immigration. The final report was released on July 8, 2020, and was expected to form the basis of the 2020 Democratic presidential
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
. The six groups were coordinated by Analilia Mejia, political director to the Sanders primary campaign, and Carmel Martin, an advisor to Biden. ''(Italics denotes the Chair of a committee)''


Unity Task Force on Climate Change

* ''
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he p ...
'' * ''
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of th ...
'' * Kathy Castor * Kerry Duggan * Catherine Coleman Flowers *
Conor Lamb Conor James Lamb (born June 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district since 2019. The district includes most of the northwestern suburbs of Pittsburgh ...
*
Gina McCarthy Regina McCarthy (born May 3, 1954) is an American air quality expert who served as the first White House national climate advisor from 2021 to 2022. She previously served as the thirteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency fr ...
* Donald McEachin * Varshini Prakash


Unity Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform

* ''Chiraag Bains'' * ''Bobby Scott'' *
Raumesh Akbari Raumesh Aleza Akbari (''ruh-MESH'' ''ack-BERRY'') (born April 14, 1984) is an American politician and member of the Tennessee Senate for the 29th district since 2019. She was formerly a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 91s ...
* Justin Bamberg *
Vanita Gupta Vanita Gupta (born November 15, 1974) is an American attorney who has served as United States Associate Attorney General since April 22, 2021. From 2014 to 2017, Gupta served as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division under Pres ...
* Eric Holder * Symone Sanders * Stacey Walker


Unity Task Force on the Economy

* ''
Karen Bass Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who is serving as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass had previously served in the U.S. ...
'' * '' Sara Nelson'' * Jared Bernstein * Darrick Hamilton * Ben Harris *
Stephanie Kelton Stephanie A Kelton (née Bell; born October 10, 1969) is an American heterodox economist and academic, and a leading proponent of Modern Monetary Theory. She is a professor at Stony Brook University and a Senior Fellow at the Schwartz Center for ...
*
Lee Saunders Lee A. Saunders is a leader of the labor movement in the United States. He was elected to succeed Gerald W. McEntee as President of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the largest an ...
* Sonal Shah


Unity Task Force on Education

* ''
Marcia Fudge Marcia Louise Fudge (born October 29, 1952) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 18th United States secretary of housing and urban development since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. representative for ...
'' * '' Heather Gautney'' * Alejandro Adler * Lily Eskelsen Garcia * Maggie Thompson * Christie Vilsack *
Randi Weingarten Randi Weingarten (born December 18, 1957)''Who's Who in America'', 2007. is an American labor leader, attorney, and educator. She is president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the AFL–CIO. She is the former presiden ...
* Hirokazu Yoshikawa


Unity Task Force on Health Care

* '' Pramila Jayapal'' * ''
Vivek Murthy Vivek Hallegere Murthy (born July 10, 1977) is an American physician and a vice admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who has served as the 19th and 21st surgeon general of the United States under Presidents Obama ...
'' *
Donald Berwick Donald M. Berwick (born September 9, 1946) is a former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Prior to his work in the administration, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Healthcare Im ...
*
Abdul El-Sayed Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed (born October 31, 1984) is an American politician, former public health professor, medical doctor, and civil servant. He was a candidate in 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election, Michigan's 2018 Democratic gubernatoria ...
* Sherry Glied *
Mary Kay Henry Mary Kay Henry (born 1958) is an American labor union activist who was elected International President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on May 8, 2010.McDonnell, P. "SEIU Picks First Female President", ''Los Angeles Times''. Ma ...
* Chris Jennings *
Robin Kelly Robin Lynne Kelly (born April 30, 1956) is an American politician from Illinois who has served as the U.S. representative from since 2013. A Democrat, Kelly served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007. She then served as c ...


Unity Task Force on Immigration

* '' Lucille Roybal-Allard'' * '' Marielena Hincapié'' * Cristóbal Alex *
Veronica Escobar Veronica Escobar (born September 15, 1969) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , based in El Paso, since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as an El Paso County commissioner from 2007 to 2011 and t ...
* Marisa Franco * Juan Gonzalez * Kate Marshall * Javier Valdés


Outcomes of the task forces

By June 9, Biden had enough delegates to secure his nomination as the Democratic candidate. On July 8, Biden's campaign released a set of policy recommendations adopted by the Unity Task Forces appointed by him and Bernie Sanders. The recommendations focus on climate change, criminal justice, the economy, education, health care, and immigration.


Accepting the nomination

On August 5, it was reported that Biden would accept the Democratic nomination from his home state of Delaware due to the pandemic. On August 11, he announced that Kamala Harris would be his running mate. The next day, the two made their first public appearance together promoting their mutual campaigns. On August 18, the second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, the party officially nominated Biden, making him the first non-incumbent vice president to be nominated for president since Walter Mondale in
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
. Biden accepted the nomination two nights later.
Chris Wallace Christopher Wallace (born October 12, 1947) is an American broadcast journalist. He is known for his tough and wide-ranging interviews, for which he is often compared to his father, ''60 Minutes'' journalist Mike Wallace. Over his 50-year care ...
of '' Fox News Sunday'' called Biden's acceptance speech "enormously effective" and said he "blew a big hole" in Trump's characterization of the candidate as being "mentally shot." During the convention, delegates adopted the party platform, which was drafted by a committee of many of the same people from the unity task forces and based on the recommendations issued by those task forces.


Presidential debates

Since Biden's successful nomination in the Democratic primaries Trump attempted to cast doubt over Biden's abilities, claiming that he was suffering from dementia and that he was taking performance-enhancing drugs in the primaries. Trump called for Biden to be drug tested before the presidential debate; Biden declined. Trump also claimed that Biden would use a hidden electronic earpiece for the debate, demanding that Biden's ears be searched. Again, Biden declined. The first debate took place at
Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...
on September 29. It was moderated by
Chris Wallace Christopher Wallace (born October 12, 1947) is an American broadcast journalist. He is known for his tough and wide-ranging interviews, for which he is often compared to his father, ''60 Minutes'' journalist Mike Wallace. Over his 50-year care ...
. Debate topics included Trump's and Biden's records, the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, race relations, and the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. Each speaker was to have two minutes to state their positions followed with a period of discussion. The debate quickly devolved into cross talk and interruptions and was widely criticized as being a low point in U.S. presidential politics. Although Wallace pleaded multiple times with Trump to follow the agreed-upon debate rules, Trump frequently interrupted and spoke over Biden and at times with Wallace as well. Following the debate Wallace stated that while his own family and the Biden family wore masks as had been required for those in attendance, the Trump family did not and refused the masks offered to them by Cleveland Clinic staffers. The vice presidential debate between Harris and Pence took place as scheduled on October 7 with
Susan Page Susan Lea Page (born February 12, 1951) is an American journalist and biographer, and the Washington DC Bureau Chief for ''USA Today'' newspaper. Early life Page, a native of Wichita, Kansas, is a 1973 graduate of Northwestern University's Med ...
serving as moderator. The debate was generally seen as civil although there were frequent instances of both candidates interrupting while the other was speaking, with Harris interrupting only about half as often as Pence. Pence also repeatedly spoke beyond his allotted time, ignoring Page's attempts of asking him to mind the two-minute time limits. A CNN poll of registered voters found that 59% felt Harris had won, while 38% felt Pence to be the winner. The second debate was scheduled to take place on October 15, but was cancelled in light of the
White House COVID-19 outbreak The White House COVID-19 outbreak was a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections that began in September 2020 and ended in January 2021 that spread among people, including many U.S. government officials, who were in close contact during the COVID-19 ...
and Trump's declared intention not to participate in a virtual debate. In response to Trump's refusal to debate Biden scheduled a town hall on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
for October 15; Trump then scheduled a town hall as well, on the same date and at the same time, to be broadcast on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
, MSNBC, and CNBC. According to
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, nearly 700,000 more viewers watched Biden's town hall than those who watched Trump's, even though Trump appeared on three outlets. The final debate took place on Thursday, October 22, 2020, from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT, at the Curb Event Center in
Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It b ...
in Nashville, Tennessee, with
Kristen Welker Kristen Welker (born July 1, 1976) is an American television journalist working for NBC News. She serves as a White House correspondent based in Washington, D.C., and co-anchor of ''Weekend Today'', the Saturday edition of ''Today'', alongside ...
of NBC moderating. While it was originally planned to be the third debate, it was the second due to the cancellation of the October 15 debate. The topics covered included: fighting the current COVID-19 pandemic, American families, racial issues, climate change, national security, and leadership. The debate rules were similar to the first, but due to President Trump's repeated interruptions in the prior debate, each candidate's microphones would be muted when it was not their turn to speak. This debate was considered to be drastically less hostile and much more informative, but both candidates still made several false or misleading claims. A post-debate CNN/SSRS poll found that 53% of debate-viewers thought that Biden had won and 39% thought Trump had won, with a margin of error of 5.7 points.


Final month

On October 6, Biden made a campaign speech in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to th ...
, called "the best of his campaign" by CNN's John Avlon. On October 15, both Biden and Trump held separate town hall speeches, replacing the cancelled second debate. On October 22, Biden and Trump participated in a second and final debate in Nashville, Tennessee. In contrast to the first debate, the microphones of both candidates were muted at select times. Trump pressed Biden on renewed allegations that during his time as vice president, members of his family had personally profited from his position in Ukraine and China; Biden denied any misconduct and pointed out controversies involving Trump and those countries. Trump repeatedly asked why Biden had not delivered on his 2020 campaign promises during his eight years in the White House, to which Biden responded, "we had a Republican Congress."


Texas Trump Train ambush

On Friday, October 30, 2020, a Joe Biden campaign bus was ambushed by a "Trump Train" convoy of Trump supporters while traveling from San Antonio to Austin, Texas along
Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
. The bus, which carried former State Senator Wendy Davis and several campaign staffers, was followed along the interstate by several cars, including many flying Donald Trump flags. After the incident, the Biden campaign cancelled two planned events in Austin, Texas. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation into the incident. Trump subsequently criticized the FBI's decision at a rally. He later tweeted, "In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong. Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people!" Protect Democracy, the Texas Civil Rights Project, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP later filed two lawsuits in response to the attack on the Biden campaign bus. Cervini v. Cisneros, was filed against the drivers, and Cervini v. Stapp was filed against local law enforcement, who the suit claims refused to help escort the Biden bus. 911 transcripts of the incident included in the suit claims that San Marcos police refused to escort the bus and laughed and joked about the attack. This lawsuit alleges that the refusal to help by law enforcement officers violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.


Election Day and beyond

The election was held on November 3. On November 6, election-calling organization Decision Desk HQ forecast that Biden had won the election based on its forecast that Biden had won Pennsylvania; this result coupled with Biden's other projected state wins would grant him over 270 electoral college votes. By November 7, news organizations ABC News, Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News, Reuters, and the New York Times all forecast that Biden had won the election. As of December 27, Joe Biden has received 81,283,098 votes to Donald Trump's 74,222,958 votes, or 51.3% to 46.8%. In addition, Biden has won 306 electoral college votes to Trump's 232, exactly the same margins as the 2016 election, which Donald Trump had repeatedly called a "landslide victory". Biden broke the record for most votes cast during an election in the history of the United States, while Trump received the most votes ever for a sitting president. On December 9, every state had certified their election results, with West Virginia being the last state to do so. On Monday December 14, the Electoral College voted to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris President and Vice President-Elect, affirming what was projected to happen on November 6 and 7. After a chaotic attack on the Capitol, lawmakers met on January 6 and counted the electoral votes submitted by the states, finally ensuring that Joe Biden would take office on
January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. * 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom. *1156 &ndash ...
. During and after the election, Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly claimed that there was significant fraud in this election, often with little or no evidence. Because of this, Trump and his lawyers have called for swing state officials to overturn the results, frequently drawing criticism for their inflammatory and violent remarks. He has filed more than 50 lawsuits challenging the results in several different swing states, but almost all have been lost. Notably, a major lawsuit challenging the vote in 6 different swing states was unanimously rejected by the conservative majority Supreme Court. In a last ditch attempt at overturning the election, several Republican members of the House and Senate objected to the January 6 certification of the Electoral College, but after a long night of deliberation, Mike Pence certified the results for Joe Biden, much to the ire of Donald Trump. That same day, a violent group of Trump supporters broke into the
United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...
while Congress was counting the votes in an attempt to halt or slow the proceedings. They were not successful in stopping the count, though they did manage to delay the certification by a few hours.


Polling

Opinion polls conducted in 2020 generally showed Biden leading Trump nationally in general election matchups, with the former vice president's advantage often extending beyond that of the survey's margin of sampling error. On July 4, ''Politico'' reported that Biden was leading Trump "by double digits in recent polls". In late July, a Washington Post–
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show ''Good Morning America'', ''Ni ...
poll showed Biden's double-digit lead holding. A national poll conducted in early August showed Biden leading by three percent. An Iowa poll showed Trump leading Biden by 48% to 45%, which is six percentage points less than Trump won the state with in 2016. Three national polls released August 13–17 show Biden polling ahead of Trump: Fox News has him leading Trump 49%–42%,
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
/ Wall Street Journal has him leading 50%–41%, and Washington Post/ABC News has him 53%–41%. A Pew Research Center showed similar results, but found that a majority of participants believed that Trump would win. A Washington Post/ABC News poll taken in late September showed Biden and Harris's lead to be 53%–43%. A NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted September 30 – October 1 (after the presidential debate, but before Trump's announcement of his COVID-19 diagnosis) has Biden leading 53%–39%. On October 7, a CNN poll showed Biden leading 57%–41%, and a week later, Opinium Research/The Guardian showed him leading 57%–40%. As of October 13, Biden consistently led in poll averages by several or more points for over 100 days, as compared to the last four presidential elections. Biden led 54%–42% in a CNN poll of October 28; its polling director pointed out that:
Although the election will ultimately be decided by the statewide results, which drive the Electoral College, Biden's lead nationally is wider than any presidential candidate has held in more than two decades in the final days of the campaign.


Odds of winning

In late September, ''FiveThirtyEight'' put Biden's odds of winning at nearly 77% and specifically predicted that he would win 352 electoral votes. His popularity rose in early October and, by October 13, ''FiveThirtyEight'' had increased its odds of Biden winning the election to 87%. This calculation remained the same through October 26, when it began to rise again, reaching 90% on October 30.


Questions about inappropriate physical contact

Biden has been accused several times of inappropriate non-sexual contact, such as embracing, kissing, and other forms of physical contact. He has described himself as a "tactile politician" and admitted this behavior has caused trouble for him in the past. By 2015, a series of swearings-in and other events at which Biden had placed his hands on people and talked closely to them, attracted attention both in the press and on social media. Various people defended Biden, including a senator who issued a statement, as well as Stephanie Carter, a woman whose photograph with Biden had gone viral, who described the photo as "misleadingly extracted from what was a longer moment between close friends". In March 2019, former Nevada assemblywoman
Lucy Flores Lucy Flores (born October 24, 1979) is an American lawyer and former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a member of the Nevada State Assembly representing the 28th district in the eastern Las Vegas Valley from 2010 to 2014. ...
alleged that Biden had touched her without her consent at a 2014 campaign rally in Las Vegas. In an op-ed, Flores wrote that Biden had walked up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders, smelled her hair, and kissed the back of her head, adding that the way he touched her was "an intimate way reserved for close friends, family, or romantic partners—and I felt powerless to do anything about it." Biden's spokesman said Biden did not recall the behavior described. Two days later, Amy Lappos, a former congressional aide to
Jim Himes James Andrew Himes (born July 5, 1966) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the New Democrat Coalition in the 115th Congress (2017–2019). H ...
, said Biden touched her in a non-sexual but inappropriate way by holding her head to rub noses with her at a political fundraiser in Greenwich in 2009. The next day, two more women came forward with allegations of unwanted touching claiming that he touched a woman's leg during a meeting, and that he placed his hand on a woman's back during a photo. In early April 2019, three women told ''The Washington Post'' Biden had touched them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. Also in April 2019, former Biden staffer Tara Reade said she had felt uncomfortable on several occasions when Biden touched her on her shoulder and neck during her employment in his Senate office in 1993. In March 2020, Reade accused him of a 1993 sexual assault. There were inconsistences between Reade's 2019 and 2020 allegations. Biden and his campaign vehemently denied the allegation. '' The New York Times'' investigated and "found no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden". Biden apologized for not understanding how people would react to his actions, but said his intentions were honorable and that he would be more "mindful of people's personal space". He went on to say he was not sorry for anything he had ever done, which led critics to accuse him of sending a mixed message. Arwa Mahdawi of ''The Guardian'' said it was "frustrating to see conservatives... weaponize the accusations against Biden", but that it was "also frustrating to see so many liberals turn a blind eye".


Endorsements

As tracked by ''FiveThirtyEight'', Biden received the most support from prominent members of the Democratic Party out of all Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential election after many settled for Biden, Sanders' popularity was dropping in the polls, and many wanted Joe Biden rather than Bernie Sanders. Biden received endorsements from 12 former candidates in the 2020 race, including Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Bloomberg,
Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician, United States Army Reserve officer and political commentator who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard was the fir ...
, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris,
Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. s ...
, Beto O'Rourke,
Andrew Yang Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and politician. Yang was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He is the co-ch ...
, and others. On April 14, 2020, after Biden was the only remaining major candidate for the Democratic nomination, former president Barack Obama (under whom Biden served as vice president) endorsed him. On April 27, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi endorsed him. On April 28, Biden received the endorsement of former 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, whose election loss had inspired his 2020 candidacy. Biden increasingly attracted Republican support away from their party's incumbent leader, Donald Trump. On August 17, an ad from Republican Voters Against Trump aired featuring Miles Taylor, former chief of staff to former homeland security secretary
Kirstjen Nielsen Kirstjen Michele Nielsen (; born May 14, 1972) is an American attorney who served as United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019. She is a former principal White House deputy chief of staff to President Donald Trump, and was ...
. Taylor concludes in the ad, "Given what I experienced in the
rump Rump may refer to: * Rump (animal) ** Buttocks * Rump steak, slightly different cuts of meat in Britain and America * Rump kernel, software run in userspace that offers kernel functionality in NetBSD Politics * Rump cabinet *Rump legislature * R ...
administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president." In late August, a movement called Republicans for Biden was launched with sponsorship by 25 former Republican congresspeople, and ''Politico'' reported that "Several dozen former staffers from Sen. Mitt Romney's (R-Utah) presidential campaign, the
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
administration and the campaign and Senate staff of former Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have signed on to an effort to elect Joe Biden." By early September, over 175 current and former law enforcement officials had endorsed Biden. In September 2020, '' Scientific American'' announced its endorsement of Biden for president. This was the first time the magazine had endorsed a presidential candidate in the almost 200 years that it has been in print. The magazine's endorsement read:
The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science. The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September. He has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges. That is why we urge you to vote for Joe Biden, who is offering fact-based plans to protect our health, our economy and the environment. These and other proposals he has put forth can set the country back on course for a safer, more prosperous and more equitable future.
In October, the '' New England Journal of Medicine'', the oldest and considered to be the world's most prestigious medical journal, published an editorial which condemned the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic saying that "they have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy." This is the first time in the journal's history that they have supported or condemned a political candidate. A week later, the science journal ''Nature'' also endorsed Biden. In October, 780 retired generals, admirals, senior noncommissioned officers, ambassadors and senior national security officials signed a letter endorsing Biden. On October 25, the conservative-leaning '' New Hampshire Union Leader'' endorsed Biden, the first Democratic presidential candidate the paper had endorsed in over 100 years.


Political positions

Although generally referred to as a moderate, Biden has declared himself as the candidate with the most
progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...
record.


Abortion

On May 21, 2019, a Biden campaign aide told the Associated Press that Biden would support immediate federal legislation codifying '' Roe v. Wade'' into statute. On June 5, 2019, the Biden campaign confirmed to NBC News that Biden still supports the Hyde Amendment, something no other Democratic presidential candidate came out in support of. Biden's campaign also told NBC News that Biden would be open to repealing the Hyde Amendment if abortion access protections currently under ''Roe v. Wade'' were threatened. On June 6, 2019, Biden, at the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...
's African American Leadership Council Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, said he now supports repealing the Hyde Amendment, crediting his change in position, in part, to recent efforts by Republicans passing anti-abortion state laws, which he called "extreme laws". Also at the summit, he focused on economic inequality for African Americans, education access,
criminal justice reform Criminal justice reform addresses structural issues in criminal justice systems such as racial profiling, police brutality, overcriminalization, mass incarceration, and recidivism. Criminal justice reform can take place at any point where the crim ...
, healthcare, and
voter suppression Voter suppression is a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting. It is distinguished from political campaigning in that campaigning attempts to change likely voting ...
in the south.


Cannabis

Biden supports the decriminalization, but not legalization, of recreational
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternativel ...
usage. Biden said he believes no one should be in jail because of cannabis use. As president, he would decriminalize cannabis use and automatically expunge prior convictions. He supports the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes, leaving decisions regarding legalization for recreational use up to the states, and recategorizing cannabis as a Schedule II drug so researchers can study its impacts. Every other Democratic presidential candidate supported the full federal legalization of cannabis, with the exception of Michael Bloomberg, Steve Bullock and
Joe Sestak Joseph Ambrose Sestak Jr. (born December 12, 1951) is an American politician and retired U.S. Navy officer. He represented in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in ...
.


Capital punishment

On June 20, 2019, following the first federal death sentence since 2003, Biden came out against
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, supporting the repeal of both federal- and state-level death sentence statutes. He argued that with the death penalty, there is a risk of executing a
wrongfully convicted A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. In ...
person. Biden had previously supported capital punishment.


Education

In 2018, Biden said he supported a universal pre-kindergarten program. He unveiled a higher education plan in October 2019, which includes two years of guaranteed free
community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
or other training, and cuts to student loan obligations. Unlike some of his rivals, he initially did not support four years of free college tuition, but later reversed this for students of families whose income is less than $125,000, as well as allowing student loan debts to default during bankruptcy. Although the Obama administration promoted
charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
s, Biden criticized some charter schools for funneling money away from public schools in a May 2019 speech, and said that he opposes federal funds for-profit charter schools.


Environment

On June 4, 2019, the Biden campaign released a $1.7 trillion climate plan that embraced the framework of the
Green New Deal Green New Deal (GND) proposals call for public policy to address climate change along with achieving other social aims like job creation and reducing economic inequality. The name refers back to the New Deal, a set of social and economic re ...
. The plan called for the US to reach
net zero Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the " ...
emissions by 2050 or earlier, and help coal workers to transition into jobs created from a clean-energy economy. Biden supports the development of
carbon capture and storage Carbon capture and storage (CCS) or carbon capture and sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it, and storing it ( carbon sequestration) for centuries or millennia. Usually ...
and small modular reactors to reduce emissions. On September 4, 2019, during a CNN climate change town hall, Biden said he does not support banning fracking for natural gas, distancing himself from some of his Democratic presidential rivals, but said he would ban new fracking permits and evaluate existing ones to determine their safety.


Health

On July 16, 2019, Biden called for additional funding to construct rural hospitals, increase telehealth services in rural communities, and provide incentives for doctors to practice in rural areas, also known as medical deserts in the United States. On April 29, 2019, Biden came out in favor of a
public option The public health insurance option, also known as the public insurance option or the public option, is a proposal to create a government-run health insurance agency that would compete with other private health insurance companies within the United ...
for health insurance and outlawing non-compete clauses for low-wage workers.


Immigration

On July 5, 2019, Biden told CNN he did not support decriminalizing illegal entry into the United States, a position that puts him at odds with many of his 2020 Democratic rivals. He released a plan to reform the immigration system in December 2019, which includes a reversal of the Trump administration's deportation policies, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and expansions in work visas and refugee admissions.


Infrastructure

Biden released his infrastructure plan on November 14, 2019, calling for investments of $1.3 trillion on infrastructure overhaul. The plan involves investments in the restoration of roads, bridges and highways, encouraging greater adoption of rail transport and electric vehicles. It also includes water pipe replacements, increases in broadband coverage, and updates to schools.


LGBTQ issues

On June 1, 2019, Biden gave a keynote address to hundreds of activists and donors at the Human Rights Campaign's annual Ohio gala. He declared his top legislative priority was passing the Equality Act. He attacked Donald Trump for banning transgender troops in the U.S. military, allowing individuals in the medical field to deny treating LGBTQ individuals, and allowing homeless shelters to deny transgender occupants. On May 6, 2020, the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Biden.


Race relations

While at a fundraiser on June 18, 2019, Biden said one of his greatest strengths was "bringing people together" and pointed to his relationships with senators
James Eastland James Oliver Eastland (November 28, 1904 February 19, 1986) was an American attorney, plantation owner, and politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served in the United States Senate in 1941 and again from 1943 until his resignation on Dece ...
and Herman Talmadge, two segregationists, as examples. While imitating a
Southern drawl A drawl is a perceived feature of some varieties of spoken English and generally indicates slower, longer vowel sounds and diphthongs. The drawl is often perceived as a method of speaking more slowly and may be erroneously attributed to laziness ...
, Biden remarked "I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland. He never called me 'boy', he always called me 'son'." Biden's Democratic opponents criticized the remarks, specifically the use of the word "boy". In response, Biden said that he was not meaning to use the term "boy" in its derogatory racial context. During the first Democratic presidential debate, Kamala Harris criticized Biden for his comments regarding his past work with segregationist senators and his past opposition to
desegregation busing Race-integration busing in the United States (also known simply as busing, Integrated busing or by its critics as forced busing) was the practice of assigning and transporting students to schools within or outside their local school districts in ...
, which had allowed black children like her to attend integrated schools. Biden was widely criticized for his debate performance and support for him dropped 10 points. President Trump defended Biden, saying Harris was given "too much credit" for her debate with Biden. In May 2020, during an interview on '' The Breakfast Club'' radio show that
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 ...
described as "contentious", Biden remarked "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." He later apologized for his remarks.


Welfare

On June 17, 2019, Biden appeared at the "Poor People's Campaign Presidential Forum" in Washington, D.C., to discuss proposals for the funding of poverty alleviation programs. At a fundraiser in New York the next day, while on the topic of raising wealthy donors' taxes to get his legislative goals passed, he reassured wealthy donors that he would not "demonize" the rich and said, "no one's standard of living will change, nothing would fundamentally change."


Trump–Ukraine scandal

In 2019, Trump allegedly attempted to coerce Ukraine and other foreign countries to investigate Joe Biden's son Hunter. Trump enlisted surrogates within and outside his official administration, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General
William Barr William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney who served as the 77th and 85th United States attorney general in the administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump. Born and raised in New York City, Barr ...
, to pressure Ukraine and other foreign governments to cooperate in supporting conspiracy theories concerning American politics. Trump blocked but later released payment of a congressionally mandated $391 million military aid package to allegedly obtain ''
quid pro quo Quid pro quo ('what for what' in Latin) is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", ...
'' cooperation from Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine. A number of contacts were established between the White House and the government of Ukraine, culminating in a phone call between Trump and Zelensky on July 25, 2019. The scandal resulted in Trump's impeachment on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress, and his ultimate acquittal by the Senate. At the time, no evidence had been produced of any wrongdoing by the Bidens. In October 2019, CNN refused to run an ad for the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign, saying it includes false claims against Biden. ''Fox News'' refused to stop airing a Trump campaign ad that allegedly lied about Biden after his campaign asked them to stop running the ad.


Hunter Biden laptop

On October 14, 2020, the '' New York Post'' ran a story showing a screenshot of an alleged email from a top adviser to Ukrainian energy company Burisma to Biden's son
Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
, thanking him for the supposed opportunity to meet his father. The article alleges that this supports claims that Biden used his political power to benefit his son Hunter in business dealings with Ukraine. The ''Post'''s source was Trump's personal lawyer
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 19 ...
, who says he got the data from the hard drive of a laptop allegedly dropped off at a repair shop in April 2019. The shop owner, John Mac Isaac, said he initially turned the laptop over to the FBI and later shared a copy of the data with Giuliani.
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
reported that they held a lengthy interview with Mac Isaac in which he frequently contradicted himself, "raising questions about istruthfulness." Social media platforms swiftly responded by controlling how the article could be shared—Facebook by including a fact-checking statement and Twitter by preventing links to the story on the basis of its containing hacked material. Republican politicians accused these platforms of censorship, renewing calls for reform of Section 230. Trump suggested that disclosures in the emails should disqualify Biden from the presidency. Biden's campaign and those associated with him portrayed the article's allegations as false, saying that no such meeting ever happened. Former U.S. intelligence officials warned the White House in 2019 that Giuliani could be the target of a Russian intelligence operation.
United States intelligence community United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
analysis released in March 2021 stated that proxies of Russian intelligence promoted and laundered misleading or unsubstantiated narratives about the Bidens "to US media organizations, US officials, and prominent US individuals, including some close to former President Trump and his administration." A June 2021 PolitiFact fact-check stated that "over time, there has been less doubt that the laptop did in fact belong to Hunter Biden", although concluded that " thing from the laptop has revealed illegal or unethical behavior by Joe Biden as vice president with regard to his son’s tenure as a director for Burisma". In an opinion article,
Holman W. Jenkins Jr. Holman W. Jenkins Jr. is a columnist, editorial writer, and member of ''The Wall Street Journal'' editorial board. He writes the twice-weekly column "Business World," which appears in the paper and online every Wednesday and Saturday. Aside from wr ...
of ''The Wall Street Journal'' criticized other journalists regarding the laptop, for "ignoring a story you know to be true in hopes your readers will believe it's not true" Glenn Kessler of ''The Washington Post'' analyzed a claim, purportedly from emails of the laptop, that Joe Biden met with Burisma executive Vadym Pozharskyi at a dinner in April 2015. Kessler concluded that Joe Biden had briefly dropped by the dinner to speak to his longtime Greek friend, Alexander Karloutsos, without participating in the dinner; additionally, while the attendees list included the name "Vadym", no last name was specified.


References

Footnotes Citations


External links

*
Official Biden-Harris transition website
{{Democratic presidential campaigns presidential campaign, 2020 Kamala Harris Biden, Joe 2020 in women's history