The number of Democrats still remaining in the 2016 presidential race has dwindled to five when VP Joe Biden withdrew his presidential bid on Wednesday. A day earlier, ex-Virginia Sen. Jim Webb also withdrew as a candidate for the Democrats and said he might consider running as an independent later. There are still 15 Republicans in the race.
Reasons for the withdrawal
The main reason given by the Vice President was the lack of time to mount a campaign that could lead to a possible win. Speculations had been running for months that the Vice President would be the stiffest challenger to Hilary Clinton, who is leading the race currently for the Democrats. With the announcement, the speculation had been put to an end. He also had to consider if he and his family have the emotional energy to go through the rigors of a political campaign, considering that they are still recovering from the recent loss of their son.
Mounting pressure
His party colleagues gave him some space during the grieving process but there was pressure from other fronts – from donors with deep pockets, party operatives and Democrat supporters. There were also some logistical issues. To appear on the 2016 primary ballot, the first filing deadline in Alabama is on the 6th of November. Moreover, the primary debates for the Democrats are already in progress. The next Democratic debate will be in Iowa on the 14th of November. Although such things do not affect the running-for-president process according to Biden, it is his belief that he is still out of time. But he said he will continue to be vocal about where the Democrats stand as a party and in which direction the nation should go. He is still a very staunch supporter of President Obama and said that the country would be making a huge mistake if they were to walk away from President Obama’s legacy. He added that it is a solid foundation that should be protected and defended by the Democrats.
Vocal declarations
He stressed that some issues are central to the platform of the Democratic Party, like the issue of income inequality and financial reform. He added that the U. S. needs to do more for cancer research. He declared that for the next 15 months, he would work hard in his office to pursue these issues, particularly cancer research.
The decision to withdraw is a boost for Hilary Clinton, who’s leading the race for the Democrats at the moment, although she’s facing some competition from fellow Democrat hopeful, Bernie Sanders from Vermont. He had been drawing large crowds during his campaign sorties and remained competitive with Hilary Clinton in fundraising and key states’ polls. On the other hand, Biden has a good base of public supporters.
Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
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