5 things to know about Joe Biden

By Samuel Smith, Deputy Managing Editor Thursday, March 12, 2020

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden addresses a crowd at Wilson High School on October 26, 2019, in Florence, South Carolina. | Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Correction Appended

Former Vice President Joe Biden is beginning to pull away as the frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary election as he picked up key victories to extend his delegate lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the March 10 primaries.

As of Thursday morning, the 77-year-old Biden holds a 864 to 710 lead over Sanders. On Tuesday, Biden picked up wins in four states, including the biggest prize, Michigan.

Along with Sanders and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Biden is one of just three candidates left vying for the party’s nomination.

With several other candidates dropping their bids for the party’s nomination in recent weeks, Biden is likely to pick up the support of more moderate liberal voters who don’t embrace Sanders’ self-described Democratic Socialist agenda.

The following pages detail five things to know about Biden's background.