The former US president Joe Biden joined the anticipated presidential race becoming the most prominent name to enter the crowded field of Democratic candidates competing to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
Bolstered by his legacy as Barack Obama’s vice-president, Biden was expected to be an early front runner in a diverse Democratic field that features several heavyweight contenders but no clear favorite. Multiple senior party figures had already endorsed Biden, and Senator Bob Casey added his endorsement early Thursday.
Biden is betting that his working-class appeal and ties to Barack Obama’s presidency will help him overcome questions about his place in today’s increasingly liberal Democratic Party.
Obama did not endorse Biden on Thursday but did take the unusual step of weighing in on the race. An Obama spokeswoman said selecting Biden as his running mate in 2008 was “one of the best decisions he ever made.”
The Republican Party wasted no time seeking to undercut Biden’s record, releasing a video on Wednesday questioning economic growth under Obama and Biden while resurrecting conservative arguments against Obama’s health care law and a failed investment in green energy company Solyndra.
The video ends with the words, “Joe Biden: Backwards, not forwards.”
Yet privately, Trump allies have warned that Biden might be the biggest re-election threat given the former vice president’s potential appeal among the white working class in the Midwest, the region that gave Trump a path to the presidency.