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Guide to Joe Biden's Reign

On Jan. 20, 2021, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., known to most people as Joe Biden or simply Joe, will become the 46th President of the United States of America and the oldest person ever elected to that office. At age 30, Biden was one of the youngest Senators in U.S. history, serving the state of Delaware from 1973 to 2009, longer than anyone else, a record that stands today.

Biden ran in two previous failed attempts to become president—one in 1988, the other in 2008—before finally winning in 2020. Prior to that he served two terms as vice president under Barack Obama, from 2009 until Jan. 20, 2017.

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From County Council to United States Senator
In 1970, after a short stint as an attorney, Biden's political career began when he ran for and won a seat on Delaware's New Castle County Council. He ran on a platform that included support for public housing, an area he continues to champion to this day.12

Guide to the Joe Biden Presidency

He became the junior U.S. senator from Delaware in 1973 after defeating Republican incumbent, J. Caleb Boggs, in a surprise win based on a platform that focused on withdrawing from Vietnam, environmental issues, civil rights, mass transit, tax reform, healthcare, and public unhappiness with "politics as usual."

Unfortunately the joy of victory was short-lived. Biden's wife, Neilia, and infant daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash just weeks after the election. He considered resigning his recently won Senate seat, but instead opted to commute by train between Delaware and Washington each night so he could be with his sons Beau and Hunter, a practice he followed for the rest of his Senate career spanning 36 years.3

In 1977, he married Jill Jacobs; their daughter Ashley was born in 1981. In 2007, Jill Biden received a Doctorate of Education and has taught at Northern University Community College since 2009.4

Senate Committee Assignments
Joseph Biden's longevity in the Senate resulted in membership on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1981 to 1997. He served as chair from 1987 to 1995. As such, he presided over two contentious Supreme Court confirmations, those of both Robert Bork and later Clarence Thomas. Biden also wrote and helped pass the Violence Against Women Act, legislation that criminalizes violence against women.5

As chairman or ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 12 years, Biden helped shape U.S. foreign policy on terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and the end of apartheid, among other issues.6

1988 Presidential Ambitions
After formally declaring his candidacy in June 1987, Biden was initially considered a strong candidate, in no small part due to his high profile as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As testament to his popularity, the Biden campaign raised more money than any other candidate in the first quarter of 1987.7

The tide turned following accusations of plagiarism later in the year. This was followed by several false claims and exaggerations including that he had earned three college degrees and that he had graduated in the top half of his law school class (he actually graduated near the bottom). On Sept. 23, 1987, Biden withdrew from the race after fumbling what many considered a half-hearted apology. Years later in his 2008 memoir Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics, Biden wrote, "When I stopped trying to explain to everybody and thought it through, the blame fell totally on me.”89

Political Positions Over the Years
Biden has generally been characterized as a moderate centrist Democrat. His ideological score his first year in the Senate, according to UCLA's Voteview pegged him as more liberal than 70% of his fellow Senators and more conservative than 53% of Democrats. His last score in 2009 put him 68% more liberal than the rest of the Senate and more conservative than 52% of Democrats.10

He once described himself as a liberal on civil rights, senior citizens, and healthcare but conservative on abortion and the draft.11 Some of Biden's positions have changed over time, others have not.

The draft
In an interview in 1974 Biden said, "Now, if you still think I’m a liberal, let me tell you that I support the draft. I’m scared to death of a professional army."11 Over time his position changed and in 2020 he told the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), "The United States does not need a larger military, and we don’t need a draft at this time. The all-volunteer force has been a source of strength for decades."12