The Time When Biden Did Drop Out

What lessons can we draw from his 1987 exit from the presidential race?

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Then-senator Joseph Biden (D., Del.) announces he is withdrawing from the race for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, as his wife Jill grasps his arm, September 23, 1987.

Jerome Delay/AFP via Getty Images

In the two weeks since President Biden’s disastrous debate performance, the political world has been consumed by a single question: Can Biden be convinced to drop out of the presidential race?

While it is theoretically possible for a critical mass of Democrats to jettison Biden without his cooperation, given that he is a sitting president who has secured nearly every delegate up for grabs in the primaries, that prospect is likely too ugly for the party to contemplate. So, it’s ultimately a waiting game to see if Biden will hold his ground or withdraw.

Philip Klein

About the Author

Philip Klein

Philip Klein is the editor of National Review Online.

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