BEFORE becoming president, Joe Biden had taken his chances at becoming the leader of the US on three other occasions.
Aside from running alongside Barack Obama in 2008, he also ran his own campaign that year and in 1988.
When did Joe Biden first run for President?
Joe Biden officially entered his first race for presidency in 1987 when he was Delaware’s senator.
He dropped out after three months due to a supposed plagiarism scandal involving British politician Neil Kinnock.
The event was held at the Iowa State Fair and Biden began his speech by claiming he was the first in “a thousand generations” to go to college in his family.
Similarly, Kinnock had made the exact same remarks at a past speech and claimed that he was never credited in Biden’s.
Biden later admitted that he had family members who had gone to college before him but his campaign still remained defensive about the plagiarism accusations.
How many times has Biden run for President?
After his failed attempt in 1987, Biden had his own presidential campaign during the 2008 election prior to being chosen as Vice President to Barak Obama.
He officially entered the race in 2007 but, again, dropped out in January of 2008 due to low voter turnout in the Iowa Caucus. Biden came in fifth place and captured less than one percent of the vote.
There was controversy with his campaign in 2007 when he called Obama “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
After those remarks, Biden apologized but was scrutinized by the media.
Biden’s fourth presidential campaign began in April 2023, when he launched his 2024 reelection campaign.
"Biden has spent more of his life seeking the presidency than just about any politician in history," as per Politico.
"His record is strong, they argue. And the specter of Trump looms, as does the strongly held belief that Biden is the only Democrat who can beat him."
When did Joe Biden serve as Vice President?
Biden served as the 47th vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama.
During his time as vice president, Biden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation’s highest civilian honor - by Obama on January 12, 2017.
"To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretense, service without self-regard, and to live life fully," Obama said.
"This honor is not only well beyond what I deserve, but it's a reflection of the generosity of your spirit," Biden told Obama. "I don't deserve this. But I know it came from the president's heart."
