United States Vice-President Joe Biden arrived in Dublin on Tuesday evening for a six-day official visit to Ireland that will include tours of the birthplaces of his ancestors and bilateral meetings with the country’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny and its President, Michael D. Higgins. / AFP PHOTO /
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Vice President Joe Biden will join Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail for the first time next week, days after the president himself stumps with her, Clinton aides announced Thursday.
The pair will attend a Democratic Party event next Friday in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where they both have roots, Clinton’s campaign said in a statement.
That stop will come four days after President Barack Obama is scheduled to join Clinton in Charlotte, North Carolina for his debut appearance on the 2016 campaign trail.
Their first joint campaign event had been scheduled for June 15 in Wisconsin, days after Obama endorsed Clinton, but was postponed due to the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
In Scranton, where Biden was born, he and the former secretary of state “will discuss their shared commitment to building an America that is stronger together and an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top,” Clinton’s campaign said in a statement.
She and Biden have had a lengthy rivalry despite both having served in Obama’s cabinet.
Both ran for the Democratic nomination in 2008 and lost. Last year, Biden was seriously contemplating another presidential run, which would have pitted him against Clinton in the primaries.
He ultimately announced in October that he would not pursue the presidency following the death of his son Beau Biden.
The vice president’s folksy demeanor and ability to personally connect with working-class voters could provide a much-needed boost for Clinton in her showdown with Republican Donald Trump, particularly among older white male voters.
Pennsylvania and North Carolina are both pivotal battlegrounds among the dozen or so swing states experts believe will determine the outcome of the November 8 general election.
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