Joe Biden ready to hit campaign trail in battleground states

Joe Biden says he will campaign in person in battleground states, after being largely hunkered down during the Covid pandemic.

Joe Biden takes a selfie with supporter Margarita Rebollal after the Nevada caucuses in February. Picture: AFP

Joe Biden said on Thursday night (Friday AEST) he will soon campaign in person in battleground states that could decide the US presidential election, a change of course for the Democrat who has largely hunkered down during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new events, expected to begin next month, would be the first substantial campaign stops for Mr Biden since March when he, Democratic nomination rival Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump abruptly suspended in-person campaigning due to the health crisis.

“I’m going to be going up into Wisconsin and Minnesota, spending time in Pennsylvania, out in Arizona, but we’re going to do it in a way that is totally consistent with being responsible,” the 77-year-old former vice-president said.

Mr Biden, speaking during a virtual fundraising event, said he would get out and meet people in communities and local businesses, but not at “irresponsible rallies”, a likely reference to the large campaign gatherings Mr Trump has hosted in recent months in defiance of the COVID-19 threat.

“I’m a tactile politician. I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands, shake hands,” said Mr Biden, who is known for his blue-collar roots and thrives on personally connecting with voters on the campaign trail.

“You can’t do that now. But I can in fact appear beyond virtually, in person, in many of these places.”

He said the first excursion into swing states — where polls show Mr Biden holding slight leads over Mr Trump — would occur “after Labor Day”, on September 7.

AFP