WASHINGTON (AP) Former Vice President Joe Biden formally joined the crowded Democratic presidential contest today, declaring the soul of this nation at stake if President Donald Trump wins re-election.
In a video posted on Twitter, Biden focused on the 2017 deadly clash between white supremacists and counter protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. Biden noted Trumps comments that there were some very fine people on both sides of the violent encounter, which left one woman dead.
We are in the battle for the soul of this nation, Biden said. If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation who we are. And I cannot stand by and watch that happen.
The 76-year-old Biden becomes an instant front-runner alongside Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is leading many polls and has proved to be a successful fundraiser . Biden has legislative and international experience that is unmatched in the Democratic field, and he is among the best-known faces in U.S. politics. He quickly racked up endorsements this morning, becoming the first Democrat running for president with the backing of more than one U.S. senator.
Still, Biden must compete in a field that now spans at least 20 Democrats and has been celebrated for its racial and gender diversity. As an older white man with occasionally centrist views, Biden has to prove hes not out of step with his party.
Hes yet to outline his positions on the issues defining the 2020 Democratic primary, most notably Medicare for All, the universal health care plan authored by Sanders that has been adopted by virtually the entire Democratic field.
But the native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, is betting that his working-class appeal and ties to Barack Obamas presidency will help him win over progressive skeptics. Obama hasnt explicitly endorsed Bidens bid, but the former president took the unusual step of weighing in on todays announcement.
President Obama has long said that selecting Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008 was one of the best decisions he ever made, Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill said. He relied on the vice presidents knowledge, insight, and judgment throughout both campaigns and the entire presidency. The two forged a special bond over the last 10 years and remain close today.
Trump welcomed Biden to the campaign in a tweet calling him Sleepy Joe.
Privately, Trump allies have warned that Biden might be the biggest re-election threat given the former vice presidents potential appeal among the white working class in the Midwest, the region that gave Trump a path to the presidency.
Biden is paying special attention to his native Pennsylvania, a state that swung to Trump in 2016 after voting for Democratic presidential candidates for decades. While Biden represented Delaware in the Senate for 36 years, he was often referred to as Pennsylvanias third senator.
The former vice president will be in the state three times within the opening weeks of his campaign. Hell be in Philadelphia this evening headlining a fundraiser at the home of David L. Cohen, executive senior vice president of Comcast. Biden is aiming to raise $500,000 at the event.
He will hold his first public event as a 2020 presidential candidate in Pittsburgh on Monday. Then its off to Iowa, home of the leadoff nominating caucuses on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by two days in South Carolina. Hell visit the other two early-voting states, Nevada and New Hampshire, in early May, before holding a major rally in Philadelphia.
Bidens first media appearance is set for Friday morning on ABCs The View, a move that may help him make an appeal to women whose support will be crucial to winning the primary.
As he neared his campaign launch, Bidens challenges have come into greater focus.
