Joe Biden is rolling the dice and striking out on his own on the campaign trail, keeping his distance from the other Democratic presidential candidates.
Biden appeared at the Human Rights Campaign’s Columbus Dinner Saturday, Cleveland.com said. The gala was at Ohio State University’s Archie Griffin Ballroom.
The HRC is the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization.
In visiting Ohio Saturday, the former vice president, who is the front-runner in his party’s primary race, showed he is not afraid of missing out by not attending the same events as his plethora of competitors, WGME said. Instead, he is focusing on a November 2020 competition against President Donald Trump, as if his primary challengers are not an issue.
Also, Biden plans to avoid an Iowa state party dinner that will draw rivals next weekend, although he will visit Iowa two days later, WGME said. And, he will miss a South Carolina economic forum on the black community, although he will attend the state party convention the next weekend.
Fourteen of the 23 other Democratic presidential hopefuls attended the California Democratic Convention in San Francisco that Biden skipped. The stakes are big as California has 400 delegates for the national convention up for grabs, or around a fifth of the number needed to clinch the nomination.
Candidate U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) used the California appearance to take a jab at the absent Biden and to call for impeachment proceedings against Trump, The Columbus Dispatch said.
“Some say if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses,” Warren said in a thinly veiled shot at former Vice President Joe Biden, who has expressed hope the GOP will have “an epiphany” after President Donald Trump is gone. “But our country is in a crisis. The time for small ideas is over.”
Other candidates at the California event included: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA); former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX); New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ); Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY); Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI); South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15); Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; former Obama housing chief Julian Castro; and former Rep. John Delaney (D-MD).
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Joe Biden” by Joe Biden.
