Biden’s long path to the White House
Published 9:31 pm Sunday, July 21, 2024
- President Joe Biden, his wife Jill and children Beau, Hunter and Ashley in a family photo. (President Joe Biden | Facebook)
By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square
President Joe Biden’s road to the White House began in 1973 when he was sworn in as one of Delaware’s U.S. senators, but it would be 48 years before he would land the nation’s top job.
The president made his name in the Senate as chairman of two key committees. Biden served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, according to his biography on the White House Historical Association. He is credited for his work on the 1994 Crime Act.
Biden also served as chairman or ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 12 years.
Biden also sought the Democratic nomination in 1988 but left after The New York Times said he had copied parts of a speech from British Labor Leader Neil Kinnock, according to Politico. The Times said Biden took another speech given by the late Bobby Kennedy. He withdrew in September 1987.
Former President Barack Obama chose Biden as his running mate after Biden ended his campaign for the second time in 2007 after placing fifth in the Iowa Caucuses. After his tenure as vice president, Democrats backed Hillary Clinton as their presidential nominee in 2016. Biden said he chose not to run as he was still dealing with the death of his son Beau from brain cancer in 2015, according to Ballotpedia.
He remained in the race until Sunday, July 21, when he stepped down, saying it was in the “best interest of the country and my party.” Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris.
Biden reentered presidential politics to seek the 2020 Democratic nomination. The campaign occurred during the height of the global coronavirus pandemic, and Biden was accused of running it from his basement.
He defeated former President Donald Trump, winning 306 electoral college votes to Trump’s 232 and winning key battleground states including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. At 78, he was the oldest to assume the presidency and the first from Delaware.
Biden’s presidency was marked by questions about his son Hunter’s legal troubles and his involvement in Hunter’s business dealings with China. The House of Representatives held impeachment inquiries but never brought the matter to the floor for a vote.
Biden continued his 2024 presidential campaign under mounting pressure to withdraw from the race. His campaign website touted the passage of the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” and the “American Rescue Plan” as two of his accomplishments.
