Joe Biden says he asked Barack Obama not to endorse him as a candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary.
“I asked President Obama not to endorse, and whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits,” Biden told reporters Thursday in Wilmington, Del. Biden was pressed on Obama’s position after the former president did not back him in a statement released after Biden announced his third White House bid.
Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, also commented on Obama’s statement during an interview on MSNBC.
“The vice president actually asked the president not to endorse,” Bedingfield said.”He wanted to make the case. He is running in this race because he believes we need to restore the soul of this nation, we need to rebuild the backbone of America, and that we need to unify and come together.
“Voters know Joe Biden. I think they know that he’s a man of character, he’s a man of empathy,” she said. “As Democrats are looking for a change, and frankly as voters across the country are looking for a change from what we currently have in the White House, there’s no bigger change than Joe Biden.”
[Read more: Biden entry makes 20 Democrats in 2020: The largest presidential field in history]
Bedingfield pushed back on the critique that Biden represents the political establishment at a time when voters crave new, diverse leadership. She said that it would be “presumptuous” to commit so early in the contest to choosing a female running mate to balance a prospective ticket. Unsuccessful 2018 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, an African American woman, was rumored to be in the mix for a potential vice presidential slot in an effort to mitigate those concerns.
Although Obama aides say their boss has no intention of endorsing any contender during the Democratic primary tussle, his office did praise Biden, describing choosing him as his running mate “as one of the best decisions he ever made,” according to Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill.
“He relied on the vice president’s knowledge, insight, and judgment throughout both campaigns and the entire presidency. The two forged a special bond over the last 10 years and remain close today,” Hill said.
[Also read: 2020 candidates are too old, warns Obama’s former doctor: ‘We’re asking for trouble’]
