Contact Robert Schmuhl, University of Notre Dame professor emeritus of American studies.
He is an expert on American presidencies and his research includes the forthcoming book, The Glory and the Burden: The American Presidency from FDR to Trump.
Schmuhl's comments:
"Joe Biden's announcement for president brings the Democratic Party's frontrunner into the 2020 campaign, but the former two-term vice president will need to navigate treacherous waters to win the nomination and the White House.
This is his third try for the nation's highest office, and, since 1992, voters have preferred and elected first-time candidates: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. In addition, recent history isn't on his side.
The last three Democratic vice presidents--Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Al Gore--all ran for president on their own, and all three lost, in 1968, 1984 and 2000, respectively. Joe Biden will be tested as never before as his campaign begins and unfolds."
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