Joe Biden on Why He Hasn't Launched a 2020 Bid Yet: He Wants to Be the Last Democrat to Enter Race
By Daniel Moritz-Rabson On 4/5/19 at 2:20 PM EDT
Former Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that he hadn't made an announcement about his potential 2020 presidential bid because he wants to be the last Democratic contender to enter the race, if he chooses to run.
"I'm told by lawyers that I've got to be careful what I say so that I don't start a clock ticking and change my status, but I am very close to making a decision to stand before you all relatively soon," he said to reporters.
"Even if I knew for certain that I was going to run for president back at Thanksgiving, my intention from the beginning, if I were to run, would be [to be] the last person to announce. So give everybody else their day, then I get a shot, and then [we're] off to the races."
But Will Marshall, president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute, questioned why Biden would want to delay his official announcement.
"If he's going to run, it's hard to see what Biden gains by delaying his announcement," Marshall told Newsweek. "Jumping in now might help him change the tenor of the coverage he's been getting. In any case, the prospect of running against him isn't deterring other Democrats from joining the race."
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https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-last-democrat-announce-2020-1387514