ON PAPER he looks like the perfect guy for the job. Eight years spent serving as America’s vice president and almost half a century in top-level politics – based on this, Joe Biden seems more than qualified to be America’s next commander-in-chief.
But this isn’t why pundits are predicting he’s going to win the presidential election. They say there’s only one reason many Americans are going to vote for him: he’s not Donald Trump.
It would be hard to find two candidates who are more different. While Trump is loud and brash and doesn’t hesitate to hurl insults at anyone who challenges him, Biden is measured and polite and comes across as an honest, down-to-earth guy.
His critics have accused him of being a tad dull, but after four years of the chaotic Trump administration, many Americans think a touch of predictability might not be such a bad thing.
But although polls put the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee well ahead of Republican Trump in the race, with 57% of voters estimated to be planning to vote for him, a lot could still happen between now and election day on 3 November. We look at the things that might help Biden clinch victory and the factors that could trip him up.
WHAT COULD COUNT IN HIS FAVOUR
PEOPLE KNOW HIM Having spent eight years serving as Barack Obama’s vice president, Biden needs no introduction. He also spent six terms in the US Senate so he has a lot of political clouts.
Biden has been using this to his advantage in the race, presenting himself as a steady and seasoned hand in a dangerous and uncertain world.
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