Electoral history of Joe Biden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States (2021–2025), has run for public office several times, beginning in 1970. He served as the 47th vice president (2009–2017), and as a United States senator from Delaware (1973–2009). Biden is the second oldest person elected president, and the first president from Delaware.[1] He is a member of the Democratic Party, one of two major political parties in the United States.
Biden began his political career in 1970 in New Castle County, Delaware, by unseating incumbent County Councilman Lawrence T. Messick.[2] In 1972, at age 29, he became the seventh-youngest senator in American history when he was elected to the United States Senate in Delaware.[3] Between 1978 and 2008, he won re-election to the Senate six times, before resigning in 2009 to assume the role of Barack Obama's vice president, after they won the 2008 presidential election. They were re-elected to a second term in 2012. All of Biden's senatorial and county council campaigns were managed by his sister, Valerie Biden Owens. Owens also served as campaign manager for his first two presidential campaigns.[4]
Biden announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on April 25, 2019. A total of 29 major candidates declared their candidacies for the primaries, but over time, the field narrowed down to Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Following Sanders withdrawing from the race, Biden became the presumptive nominee. He defeated incumbent president Donald Trump in the general election, with 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232. Biden was the first Democrat to win the states of Arizona and Georgia since the 1990s, and broke the record for votes cast for a presidential candidate. While he intended to run for re-election in 2024, following calls from various prominent Democrats, he withdrew from the race.
Biden has never lost a general election, though he failed to win the Democratic nomination for president in 1988 and 2008. All three of the winning Democratic presidential tickets of the 21st century had Biden on the ticket, either as president or vice president.[5]
County council election (1970)
Biden's first election was in New Castle County, Delaware, for the fourth district of the New Castle County Council. He unseated Republican incumbent Lawrence T. Messick. At the time of Biden's election, the state's politics were dominated by Republicans. Biden's campaign was managed by his sister, Valerie Biden Owens.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph R. Biden, Jr. | 10,573 | 55.41 | ||
| Republican | Lawrence T. Messick (incumbent) | 8,192 | 42.93 | ||
| American | Kenneth A. Horner | 317 | 1.66 | ||
| Total votes | 19,082 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
U.S. Senate elections (1972–2008)
Biden was elected to the United States Senate seven times between 1972 and 2008. Shortly after beginning his seventh term he resigned due to being elected Vice President.[7] As of January 22, 2025, Biden is the nineteenth longest serving Senator of all time, serving slightly over thirty-six years. Additionally he is the longest serving Senator from Delaware.[8] His sister Valerie served as campaign manager on all seven of his campaigns.[4]
1972
Biden: 50–60%
Boggs: 40–50%
After two years on the New Castle County Council,[10] Biden decided to challenge incumbent Republican Senator J. Caleb Boggs. Ted Kaufman, who worked on the campaign, recalled that he told Biden, "Joe, I've got to be honest with you; I really don't think you have much of a chance to win this race." The campaign had very little funding, and mostly relied on word-of-mouth marketing. On November 7, 1972, Biden upset Boggs by a margin of 3,162 votes.[11][12]
Shortly after the election, Biden's wife and children were in a car crash. His wife, Neilia, and daughter, Naomi, died, while his sons, Beau and Hunter, were hospitalized. Following the crash, Biden contemplated suicide and considered not taking his Senate seat.[13] He decided to take the seat after being convinced by Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden | 116,006 | 50.48 | ||
| Republican | J. Caleb Boggs (incumbent) | 112,844 | 49.10 | ||
| American | Henry Majka | 803 | 0.35 | ||
| Prohibition | Herbert B. Wood | 175 | 0.08 | ||
| Total votes | 229,828 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
1978
Biden: 50–60%
On November 7, 1978, Biden was re-elected, defeating Republican challenger James H. Baxter, Jr. Biden greatly improved on his 1972 margin, and won all three counties, flipping Sussex County away from the Republican Party.[15]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 93,930 | 57.96 | ||
| Republican | James H. Baxter Jr. | 66,479 | 41.02 | ||
| American | Donald G. Gies | 1,663 | 1.03 | ||
| Total votes | 162,072 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
1984
Biden: 50–60% 70–80%
In 1984, Biden won re-election to a third term, defeating Republican challenger Delaware General Assemblyman John M. Burris. Biden outperformed Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale's performance in the concurrent presidential election. Mondale lost the state to Republican President Ronald Reagan by over 50 thousand votes and twenty percent of the vote.[18] Biden later stated that he came very close to deciding not to run.[19]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 147,831 | 60.11 | ||
| Republican | John M. Burris | 98,101 | 39.89 | ||
| Total votes | 245,932 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
1990
Biden: 50–60% 60–70%
In 1990, Biden, like most incumbents in the 1990 United States Senate elections, was re-elected,[21] defeating M. Jane Brady, deputy Attorney General of Delaware. Brady decided to run because she felt that Biden's liberal voting record did not reflect the political positions of Delawareans.[22] Brady's campaign raised around $245,000; she was heavily outspent by Biden, who raised around $2,800,000.[23]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 112,918 | 62.68 | ||
| Republican | M. Jane Brady | 64,554 | 35.83 | ||
| Libertarian | Lee Rosenbaum | 2,680 | 1.49 | ||
| Write-in | 5 | 0.00 | |||
| Total votes | 180,157 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
1996
Biden: 50–60% 60–70%
In 1996, Biden was re-elected to a fifth term, against Republican Ray Clatworthy. For the first time in his senatorial career, Biden's margin of victory decreased.[20][26] Despite this, Biden still greatly outperformed Democratic President Bill Clinton in the concurrent presidential election. Clinton received 51 percent of the vote, to Republican Senator Bob Dole's 36.5 percent and Reform candidate Ross Perot's 10.6 percent.[26]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 165,465 | 60.04 | ||
| Republican | Ray Clatworthy | 105,088 | 38.13 | ||
| Libertarian | Lee Rosenbaum | 3,340 | 1.21 | ||
| Natural Law | Jacqueline Kossoff | 1,698 | 0.62 | ||
| Total votes | 275,591 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2002
Biden: 50–60% 60–70%
Clatworthy: 50–60%
In 2002, Biden won re-election to another term, again defeating Republican challenger Ray Clatworthy. For the second election in a row,[25][27] Biden's margin of victory decreased as Clatworthy managed to flip Kent County away from the Democrats.[20][27] Biden's victory made him the first Senator from Delaware to serve six terms in the Senate.[28]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 135,253 | 58.22 | ||
| Republican | Ray Clatworthy | 94,793 | 40.80 | ||
| Independent Party | Bud Barros | 996 | 0.43 | ||
| Libertarian | Raymond Buranello | 922 | 0.40 | ||
| Natural Law | Robert E. Mattson | 350 | 0.15 | ||
| Total votes | 232,314 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2008
Biden: 50–60% 70–80%
After ending his presidential bid in January 2008, Biden focused instead on running for a seventh Senate term.[31] On August 23, 2008, Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama announced that he had selected Biden to serve as his vice presidential running mate.[32] Under Delaware law, Biden could run simultaneously for both his Senate seat and for vice president, which he decided to do.[33] Within minutes of the polls closing, the election was called for Biden.[34] He was re-elected in a landslide victory against Republican challenger Christine O'Donnell.[35][36] He again won all three counties, flipping Kent County back to the Democratic party.[27][30] He slightly outperformed Obama's victory in the state.[35] Due to his and Obama's victory in the concurrent presidential election, Biden resigned from the Senate a few weeks after being sworn in.[7] Long-time Biden advisor Ted Kaufman was appointed to fill the vacancy. Kaufman decided not to run in the 2010 special election.[37] The election was won by Democrat Chris Coons, who served the remainder of Biden's term.[38]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 257,539 | 64.69 | ||
| Republican | Christine O'Donnell | 140,595 | 35.31 | ||
| Total votes | 398,134 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Presidential and vice presidential elections (1984–2024)
1984 Democratic primary
Despite not running, Biden received one vote at the 1984 Democratic National Convention. Unpledged delegate Keron Kerr cast her vote for Biden because she enjoyed a speech he had given in Maine, her home state, the previous year.[40] The nomination was won by former Vice President Walter Mondale,[41] who lost to Republican incumbent Ronald Reagan.[42]
1988 Democratic primary
In June 1988, Biden, then in his third Senate term, declared his intentions to run for president.[43] Originally, Biden was regarded as potentially one of the strongest candidates in the field.[44] However, following reports that he had plagiarized a speech by Neil Kinnock, the leader of the British Labour Party, he withdrew before the presidential primaries.[45] The nomination was won by Michael Dukakis, who lost the general election to Republican George H. W. Bush.[46][47]
2008
Presidential primaries
On January 31, 2007, Biden again announced his candidacy.[48] However, on January 3, 2008, after finishing in fifth place in the Iowa caucus receiving around one percent of the vote, Biden ended his presidential bid. He declined to make an endorsement and stated he was not interested in the Vice Presidency or a cabinet position.[49]
Excluding penalized contests [a]:
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama | 16,706,853 | 49.04 | |
| Hillary Clinton | 16,239,821 | 47.67 | |
| John Edwards | 742,010 | 2.18 | |
| Bill Richardson | 89,054 | 0.26 | |
| Uncommitted | 82,660 | 0.24 | |
| Dennis Kucinich | 68,482 | 0.20 | |
| Joe Biden | 64,041 | 0.19 | |
| Mike Gravel | 27,662 | 0.08 | |
| Christopher Dodd | 25,300 | 0.07 | |
| Others | 22,556 | 0.07 | |
| Total votes | 34,068,439 | 100.00 | |
Including penalized contests[a]:
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillary Clinton | 18,225,175 | 48.03 | |
| Barack Obama | 17,988,182 | 47.41 | |
| John Edwards | 1,006,275 | 2.65 | |
| Uncommitted | 299,610 | 2.79 | |
| Bill Richardson | 106,073 | 0.28 | |
| Dennis Kucinich | 103,994 | 0.27 | |
| Joe Biden | 81,641 | 0.22 | |
| Others | 44,348 | 0.12 | |
| Mike Gravel | 40,251 | 0.11 | |
| Christopher Dodd | 35,281 | 0.09 | |
| Total votes | 37,980,830 | 100.00 | |
Nomination
Following Illinois Senator Barack Obama's victory in the primaries, Biden, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh were shortlisted to be Obama's Vice President.[52][53] On August 23, 2008, Obama officially nominated Biden to be his running mate.[54] At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Biden was selected by acclamation.[55]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden | –[b] | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | – | 100.00% | ||
General election
Obama and Biden won the 2008 presidential election, defeating Republican nominees Arizona Senator John McCain and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Biden was elected the 47th Vice President of the United States.[58]
| Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Electoral vote | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
| Barack Obama | Joe Biden | Democratic | 69,498,516 | 52.91 | 365 | 67.84 | |
| John McCain | Sarah Palin | Republican | 59,948,323 | 45.64 | 173 | 32.16 | |
| Ralph Nader | Matt Gonzalez | Independent | 739,034 | 0.56 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Bob Barr | Wayne Allyn Root | Libertarian | 523,715 | 0.40 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Chuck Baldwin | Darrell Castle | Constitution | 199,750 | 0.15 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Cynthia McKinney | Rosa Clemente | Green | 161,797 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Others | 290,626 | 0.22 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| Total | 131,361,761 | 100.00 | 538 | 100.00 | |||
2012
Nomination
At the 2012 Democratic National Convention Biden and Obama were re-nominated, Biden was again nominated by acclamation.[60]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Biden | –[c] | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | – | 100.00 | ||
General election
Obama and Biden won re-election in the 2012 presidential election, defeating the Republican challengers former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan.[62]
| Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Electoral vote | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
| Barack Obama (incumbent) | Joe Biden (incumbent) | Democratic | 65,915,795 | 51.06 | 332 | 61.71 | |
| Mitt Romney | Paul Ryan | Republican | 60,933,504 | 47.20 | 206 | 38.29 | |
| Gary Johnson | Jim Gray | Libertarian | 1,275,971 | 0.99 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Jill Stein | Cheri Honkala | Green | 469,627 | 0.36 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Others | 490,513 | 0.38 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| Total | 129,085,410 | 100.00 | 538 | 100.00 | |||
2020
Primaries
In 2015, the final year of his Vice Presidency, following media speculation that he would seek the presidency in the 2016 United States presidential election. Biden denied the rumors, stating that his "window for a successful campaign has closed".[63]
Biden announced his candidacy in the 2020 presidential election on April 25, 2019.[66] A total of 29 major candidates declared their candidacies for the primaries, the largest field of presidential candidates for any American political party since 1972.[67] He was initially considered to be among the strongest candidates,[68][69] though his chances diminished after poor performances in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary.[70][69] However, he was considered the frontrunner after his wins in the South Carolina primary and on Super Tuesday.[71][68] Eventually, the field narrowed down to Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.[72] Eventually, Sanders withdrew from the race, and Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee in April 2020,[73] reaching the delegate threshold needed to secure the nomination in June 2020.[74] During the campaign, Biden pledged to select a woman to be his running mate.[75] After his victory Senators Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts were seen as the most likely candidates.[76][77] Biden eventually selected Harris.[78]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | 19,076,052 | 51.79 | |
| Bernie Sanders | 9,679,213 | 26.28 | |
| Elizabeth Warren | 2,831,472 | 7.69 | |
| Michael Bloomberg | 2,488,734 | 6.76 | |
| Pete Buttigieg | 924,237 | 2.51 | |
| Amy Klobuchar | 529,713 | 1.44 | |
| Tulsi Gabbard | 273,940 | 0.74 | |
| Tom Steyer | 259,792 | 0.71 | |
| Andrew Yang | 170,517 | 0.46 | |
| Uncommitted | 130,081 | 0.35 | |
| Michael Bennet | 63,124 | 0.17 | |
| Julian Castro | 37,037 | 0.10 | |
| Others | 370,044 | 1.01 | |
| Total votes | 36,833,956 | 100.00 | |
Nomination
At the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Biden received 75 percent of the delegate vote to Sanders' 24. Five delegates abstained from voting.[80]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | 3,558 | 75.48 | |
| Bernie Sanders | 1,151 | 24.42 | |
| Abstention | 5 | 0.11 | |
| Total votes | 4,714 | 100.00 | |
General election
After winning the Democratic nomination, Biden defeated incumbent president Donald Trump in the general election. He received 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 becoming the 46th President of the United States.[82][83] He was the first Democrat to win the states of Arizona and Georgia since the 1990s.[84][85] Biden received more than 81 million votes, the most votes ever cast for a candidate in a U.S. presidential election.[83] Kamala Harris became the first woman to serve as the Vice President of the United States.[86]
| Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Electoral vote | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
| Joe Biden | Kamala Harris | Democratic | 81,268,924 | 51.31 | 306 | 56.88 | |
| Donald Trump (incumbent) | Mike Pence (incumbent) | Republican | 74,216,154 | 46.86 | 232 | 43.12 | |
| Jo Jorgensen | Spike Cohen | Libertarian | 1,865,724 | 1.18 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Howie Hawkins | Angela Nicole Walker | Green | 405,035 | 0.26 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Others | 628,584 | 0.40 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| Total | 158,384,421 | 100.00 | 538 | 100.00 | |||
2024
Primaries
In April 2023, Biden launched a bid for re-election to the presidency.[90][91] U.S. Representative Dean Phillips unsuccessfully challenged Biden in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[92] Biden easily became the "presumptive nominee" of the Democratic Party on March 12, 2024.[93] Biden's only primary contest loss was in the U.S. overseas territory American Samoa against businessman Jason Palmer.[94] The Florida primary was canceled after the Florida Democratic Party only submitted Biden's name to appear on the ballot.[95] The Delaware primary was canceled for the same reason.[96] Biden was awarded the delegates from both states.[88]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden (incumbent) | 13,931,767 | 87.26 | |
| Uncommitted | 694,551 | 4.35 | |
| Dean Phillips | 524,867 | 3.29 | |
| Marianne Williamson | 461,732 | 2.89 | |
| Armando Perez-Serrato | 80,781 | 0.51 | |
| Gabriel Cornejo | 69,701 | 0.44 | |
| Stephen Lyons | 41,740 | 0.26 | |
| Frank Lozada | 36,571 | 0.23 | |
| President R. Boddie | 24,773 | 0.16 | |
| Cenk Uygur | 20,862 | 0.13 | |
| Jason Palmer | 20,360 | 0.13 | |
| Terrisa Bukovinac | 18,996 | 0.12 | |
| Others | 39,350 | 0.25 | |
| Total votes | 15,966,051 | 100.00 | |
Withdrawal
Following his poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate, Democrats such as then-Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called for Biden to exit the race.[98][99] On July 21, 2024, Biden ultimately withdrew from the race and immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him in his place as the party's presidential nominee. Her campaign was ultimately unsuccessful and she lost the general election to Donald Trump.[100]
Notes
- The Democratic parties of Florida and Michigan violated Democratic National Committee rules by moving their primaries before February 5, 2008, resulting in a nullification of their primaries, until the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to restore half their delegates.[50]