Joe Biden. Three weeks ago his name was starting to lose relevance, fading away slowly into the midst of his rival Democratic nominees. Fast forward to today, where he has a high possibility of being our Democratic nominee against Donald Trump. So how exactly was Biden able to thrive in this race? This whole nomination process has been very similar to that of a 5K (3.1 mile) cross-country race. It requires endurance and surges at the right time in the race, otherwise you will fall behind and never make a podium finish.
The first mile of any 5K will start off quick and fast, and then slow down to a more comfortable pace. The most important part at this point in time is making sure you have a secured spot within the main pack. Biden’s announcement to run for president was his first mile. He got his name into the race and secured his spot as someone who could be a potential candidate in the field of over twenty competitors.
In the second mile of the race, you want to make sure that you never lose the main pack. The importance here is to not waste your energy. In fact, leading the race can be more tiring than it’s worth and may compromise you later on. Having other competitors to wind block and pace you within the pack allows for that energy conservation. Biden’s second mile was sticking with the huge field that still existed. He made his way onto every single debate stage, yet his name began to fade as people started paying attention to other candidates. This averted attention was Biden’s wind blocker. By allowing Democrats to focus on other candidates, Biden was never a huge point of contention while on the debate stage. While he may have had a squabble every now and then, the other candidates were not there to attack him because he was not seen as a threat. This lack of attention would give Biden a huge benefit in the third mile.
The beginning of the third mile is where you must start picking up the pace, otherwise the pack will run on without you. The goal is to pick off as many opponents as possible without running into exhaustion. For Biden, this was the Nevada Caucus. While he had placed fourth and fifth in Iowa and New Hampshire, his first surge was Nevada, in which he placed second. The last 600 meters of a race is where you start to not only pass others, but where people begin to see you as someone who could actually be a winner. South Carolina gave Biden a huge boost and gave him enough delegates to become second place in the entire race. He went from middle of the pack man, to almost winner with one surge. Finally, the last 400 meters of a race is the showdown. This last lap is where you must give everything you’ve got and hope you get to the finish line first. This last lap was Super Tuesday. Biden was able to win ten states on Super Tuesday, amassing his delegate count to 408, which is 64 more than Bernie Sanders.
Joe Biden’s campaign had a strategy and stuck to it, hoping that it would work. Fortunately, their plan to wait and then kick at South Carolina didn’t just work, it exceeded all expectations. Another advantage for him was that unlike an actual race, Biden’s two main competitors dropped out of the race. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg not only dropped out, but they also decided they would support Biden in his run for President and endorsed him. Along with their two endorsements, Biden was able to get Beto O’ Rourke, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker to endorse him, as they all think that he will be the candidate to unite our country in this political climate.
Joe Biden was a name everyone was about to forget, but he was able to kick when he got to South Carolina to surge to the top of the podium. From here on out, Biden will have to run on skill rather than a planned out strategy as his only real competition is Bernie Sanders. Whether he can handle this will be played out within the next couple months, as he races for the goal of 1,991 delegates.
