Report: Biden will announce 2020 bid next week

Former Vice President Joe Biden will officially launch his presidential bid next Wednesday with a video announcement, people familiar with the matter told The Atlantic in a report published Friday. 

The video will use footage shot two weeks ago outside his old family home in Scranton, Pa., roots to which he has often pointed to show his understanding of working-class struggles in America.

{mosads}Biden has long been seen as likely to enter the 2020 race, and his potential campaign has loomed large over a growing Democratic primary field that already has more than a dozen candidates.

Though he has still not officially announced, Biden has regularly polled at or near the top in several national polls on Democratic contenders in key states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

The former vice president will likely seek to leverage his decades of experience in politics to cast himself as someone who can help the country regain its balance following the Trump presidency. He hopes that his Pennsylvania roots could boost his appeal in Rust Belt states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, crucial swing states necessary for any Democrat’s electoral path to victory in the general election.

A Biden spokesperson declined to comment to The Atlantic. A spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill regarding a possible announcement next week.

Should Biden run, he would be facing off against a slew of younger and more diverse faces within the party, many of whom have shirked the former vice president’s moderation in favor of policies important to the party’s increasingly influential progressive flank, offering Biden a possible spot with the base’s centrists.

However, Biden has already faced backlash early on in the primary contest after multiple women accused him of inappropriate touching during his time in office. The former vice president released a video earlier this month saying he would be “more mindful” about respecting people’s “personal space.” He’s also faced criticism over his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee during Anita Hill’s testimony regarding sexual harassment by now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Biden has been unable to raise money so far due to a lack of an active campaign account. If he jumps into the race, he would enter the primary field far behind a number of other candidates who have hauled in millions int the first quarter of 2019 alone.