Joe Biden

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Joe Biden
Official portrait of Vice President Joe Biden.jpg
Vice President of the United States
Incumbent
Term ends
2017
Years in position 7
PartyDemocratic
Leadership
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
1987-1995
Report an officeholder change
Prior offices
U.S. Senator from Delaware
1973-2009
Education
High schoolArchmere Academy
Bachelor'sUniversity of Delaware (1965)
J.D.Syracuse University Law School (1968)
Personal
Date of birthNovember 20, 1942
Place of birthScranton, Pennsylvania
ProfessionAttorney
ReligionRoman Catholic
Websites
Office website
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Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. (b. November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania) is the current Democratic Vice President of the United States. Biden and President Barack Obama were sworn in for their first terms of office on January 20, 2009.[1] He was sworn in for his 2nd term as vice president on January 20, 2013.[2] Biden was serving his 7th term as a U.S. senator from Delaware before becoming vice president in 2009.[3]

Biden began his career in politics serving on the New Castle, Delaware county council in 1970 before defeating incumbent senator, J. Caleb Boggs (R), for his seat in the United States Senate.[3] Biden was a candidate in the 1988 Democratic primary for the presidency. He withdrew his candidacy in 1987 after he was found plagiarizing speeches from other politicians.[4]

Biography

Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but when he was 13 years old, the family moved to Mayfield, Delaware. He attended St. Helena School before gaining acceptance to the Archmere Academy for whom he worked odd jobs to help his family pay tuition.[5] Biden then graduated from the University of Delaware before earning his law degree from the Syracuse University Law School in 1968.[3]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Biden's academic, professional and political career:[5][3]

  • 1965: Graduated from University of Delaware with a degree in history and political science
  • 1968: Earned law degree from Syracuse University Law School
  • 1968-1970: Defense attorney in Wilmington, Delaware
  • 1970-1972: New Castle County Council member
  • 1973-2009: United States Senator representing Delaware
  • 2009-Present: United States Vice President under Barack Obama

Issues

On The Issues Vote Match

Joe Biden's Vote Match results from On The Issues.
See also: On The Issues Vote Match

On The Issues conducts a VoteMatch analysis of elected officials based on 20 issue areas. Rather than relying on incumbents to complete the quiz themselves, the VoteMatch analysis is conducted using voting records, statements to the media, debate transcripts, or citations from books authored by or about the candidate.[6]

On The Issues organization logo

The table below contains the results of analysis compiled by staff at On The Issues.

On The Issues Vote Quiz[7]
Economic Issues Social Issues
Issue Stance Issue Stance
Legally require hiring women & minorities Favors Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right Favors
Expand Obamacare Strongly Favors Comfortable with same-sex marriage Strongly Favors
Vouchers for school choice Opposes Keep God in the public sphere Opposes
Absolute right to gun ownership Strongly Opposes No "rights" to clean air and water Strongly Opposes
Higher taxes on the wealthy Strongly Favors Stricter punishment reduces crime Opposes
Support & expand free trade Opposes Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens Favors
More enforcement of the right to vote Strongly Favors Maintain U.S. sovereignty from UN Strongly Opposes
Prioritize green energy Strongly Favors Expand the military Opposes
Stimulus better than market-led recovery Strongly Favors Stay out of Iran Favors
Privatize Social Security Opposes Never legalize marijuana Favors
Note: Information last updated: May 20, 2015.[6] If you notice the rating has changed, email us.

Presidential preference

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Biden endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[8]

See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton

Elections

2016

Presidency

See also: Joe Biden possible presidential campaign, 2016 and Presidential election, 2016

Although Biden hinted that he was considering a run for president in 2016 in several interviews, he announced that he would not seek the office of President of the United States on October 21, 2015.[9] Speaking from the White House Rose Garden with his wife Jill Biden and President Barack Obama by his side, Biden said, "As my family and I have worked through the grieving process. I’ve said all along that it may very well be that that process, by the time we get through it, closes the window on mounting a realistic campaign for president. I’ve concluded it has closed."[10]

In July 2013, Biden said, "I can die a happy man never having been president of the United States of America, but it doesn't mean I won't run."[11] Biden later said in an interview on February 7, 2014, "There’s no obvious reason for me why I think I should not run."[12]

President Barack Obama commented on Biden and Hillary Clinton when asked to compare them, stating, "both Hillary and Joe would make outstanding presidents, and possess the qualities that are needed to be outstanding presidents."[13] Fourteen vice presidents have become president, but only four were directly elected after serving as vice president.[14]

2012

Vice Presidency

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Biden won re-election in 2012 as vice president of the United States on a ticket with Barack Obama.[15]

U.S. presidential election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 51.3% 65,899,660 332
     Republican Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan 47.4% 60,932,152 206
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Jim Gray 1% 1,275,804 0
     Green Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala 0.4% 469,501 0
Total Votes 128,577,117 538
Election results via: FEC official election results

Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Roseanne Barr, Rocky Anderson, Thomas Hoefling, Jerry Litzel, Jeff Boss, Merlin Miller, Randall Terry, Jill Reed, Richard Duncan, Andre Barnett, Chuck Baldwin, Barbara Washer, Tom Stevens, Virgil Goode, Will Christensen, Stewart Alexander, James Harris, Jim Carlson, Sheila Tittle, Peta Lindsay, Gloria La Riva, Jerry White, Dean Morstad and Jack Fellure.[16]

2008

Vice Presidency

Biden won the 2008 election as vice president of the United States on a ticket with Barack Obama.[17]

U.S. presidential election, 2008
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden 53% 69,498,516 365
     Republican John McCain/Sarah Palin 45.7% 59,948,323 173
     Peace and Freedom Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez 0.6% 739,034 0
     Libertarian Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root 0.4% 523,715 0
     Constitution Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle 0.2% 199,750 0
     Green Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente 0.1% 161,797 0
Total Votes 131,071,135 538
Election results via: Archives.gov official election results


Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Alan Keyes, Ron Paul, Gloria La Riva, Brian Moore, Roger Calero, Richard Duncan, James Harris, Charles Jay, John Joseph Polachek, Frank Edward McEnulty, Jeffrey J. Wamboldt, Thomas Robert Stevens, Gene C. Amondson, Jeffrey Jeff Boss, George Phillies, Ted Weill, Jonathan E. Allen and Bradford Lyttle.[18]

Full history


Analysis

Net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Biden told the White House's Working Summit on Working Families that he was the "poorest man in Congress" in June 2014. He went on, "Don't hold against me that I don't own — that I don't own a single stock or bond. Don't hold it — I have no savings accounts. But I got a great pension, and I got a good salary." Biden's 2013 tax returns show that he and his wife, Jill, reported an income of $407,099. A financial disclosure form shows that he has some money in savings, but that all accounts contain less than $15,000.[26]

2011

Based on executive branch financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Biden's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $39,028.00 and $805,996.00. That averages $422,512.00, which is the 21st highest in the executive branch.[27]

2016 Democratic National Convention

See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016
Joe Biden
Democratic National Convention, 2016
Status:Superdelegate
State:Delaware
Supporting:Hillary Clinton
Delegates to the DNC 2016
Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state
Biden was one of ten superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Delaware.[28] Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Biden supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.[29] Clinton formally won the Democratic nomination for president on July 26, 2016.[30]

What is a superdelegate?

See also: Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

Superdelegates, in 2016, were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[31]

Delaware primary results

See also: Presidential election in Connecticut, 2016

Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders in Delaware's Democratic primary on April 26, 2016, by approximately 21 percentage points.[32]

Delaware Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton 59.8% 55,954 12
Bernie Sanders 39.2% 36,662 9
Roque De La Fuente 1.1% 1,024 0
Totals 93,640 21
Source: The New York Times and Delaware Secretary of State

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
Democratic Party Logo.png

Delaware had 32 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 21 were "pledged delegates." National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[33][34]

Eleven party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[33][35]

Personal

Biden married Neilia Hunter in 1966 and they had three children together: Beau, Hunter and Naomi. In December 1972, Neilia and Naomi were killed in a car accident that also critically injured Biden's two sons.[5] Biden was sworn into his first term in office by his sons' hospital beds in January 1973. In 1977, he remarried to Jill Jacobs, with whom he has one daughter, Ashley.[5]

Biden's elder son, Beau Biden, served as the Attorney General of Delaware from 2007 to 2015. On May 30, 2015, Beau Biden died from brain cancer at the age of 46.[36] Joe Biden's other son, Hunter, was appointed to the board of Burisma Holdings, Ukraine's largest private natural gas firm in May 2014.[37]

Recent news

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Joe Biden News Feed

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See also

External links

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Political Tracker has an article on:
Joseph Biden
Political offices
Preceded by
Dick Cheney (R) 		Vice President of the United States
2009–present 		Succeeded by
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Preceded by
' 		U.S. Senate - Delaware
1973–2009 		Succeeded by
John Carney (D)

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Telegraph, "Barack Obama inauguration: Joe Biden sworn in as vice-president," January 20, 2009
  2. ↑ Planet Washington, "Biden officially sworn into office for a second term," January 20, 2013
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 CNN, "Joe Biden Fast Facts," January 22, 2013
  4. ↑ New York Times, "Biden Withdraws Bid for President in Wake of Furor," September 24, 1987
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Biography.com, "Joe Biden Biography," accessed June 24, 2013
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 On The Issues, "Joe Biden Vote Match," accessed May 20, 2015
  7. ↑ The questions in the quiz are broken down into two sections: social and economic. In social questions, liberals and Libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more restrictive answers. For the economic questions, conservatives and Libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more restrictive answers.
  8. ↑ Politico, "Joe Biden endorses Hillary Clinton," June 9, 2016
  9. ↑ USA Today, "Joe Biden says no to 2016 presidential race," accessed October 21, 2015
  10. ↑ The Guardian, "Joe Biden announces he will not run for president in 2016," accessed October 21, 2015
  11. ↑ GQ, "Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden?" July 2013
  12. ↑ Politico, "2016 election: Joe Biden can't think of a reason not to run," February 7, 2014
  13. ↑ USA Today, "Obama lauds both 2016 aspirants: Clinton and Biden," December 6, 2013
  14. ↑ VicePresidents.com, "The Vice Presidency: Stepping Stone or Mill Stone?" accessed October 15, 2013
  15. ↑ The Cincinnati Herald, "Obama re-elected to historic second term," November 10, 2012
  16. ↑ FEC, "2012 Presidential Election Results," accessed June 24, 2013
  17. ↑ CNN, "Obama: This is your victory," November 5, 2008
  18. ↑ FEC, "2008 Presidential Popular Vote Summary," accessed June 24, 2013
  19. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
  20. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
  21. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996," accessed March 28, 2013
  22. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990," accessed March 28, 2013
  23. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1984," accessed March 28, 2013
  24. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978," accessed March 28, 2013
  25. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1972," accessed March 28, 2013
  26. ↑ The Washington Post, "Joe Biden said he has ‘no savings accounts’," June 23, 2014
  27. ↑ OpenSecrets, "Joe Biden, 2011" (accessed June 28, 2013)
  28. ↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to [email protected].
  29. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Joe Biden Endorses Hillary Clinton For President," June 9, 2016
  30. ↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at [email protected].
  31. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
  32. ↑ The New York Times, "Delaware Primary Results," June 10, 2016
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
  34. ↑ CNN.com, "Democratic National Convention Roll Call," accessed July 26, 2016
  35. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
  36. ↑ The New York Times, "Beau Biden, Vice President Joe Biden’s Son, Dies at 46," May 30, 2015
  37. ↑ Washington Post, "Hunter Biden’s new job at a Ukrainian gas company is a problem for U.S. soft power," May 14, 2014
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