'This Is Like Mile 4': Dr. Jill Biden Compares Democratic Primary Race To Marathon That's Just Getting Started
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Dr. Jill Biden visited CBS2's studios in Studio City Thursday to talk about her husband's Democratic presidential campaign and a new book she has written to tell his story as a child.
Dr. Biden, an English professor, spoke to CBS2 anchors DeMarco Morgan and Suzanne Marques about having to leave her students yet again to hit the campaign trail on behalf of her husband, former Vice President Joe Biden. She says she texts with her students to keep in touch.
"Politics is not my love, teaching is," she said.
Dr. Biden announced Thursday that she was releasing a new children's book, her second, about her husband's life growing up.
"It's a story of Joe's life, how he was a leader even at a young age and how faith influenced his life," she said. "Even as a young child, he stuttered. And it was very difficult for him to get over that and he was bullied."
Despite her great love for teaching, Dr. Biden says she felt the 2020 election was too important to not be doing her part for the campaign. On Wednesday, she spent time at a roundtable discussion with Latino LGBT leaders at the Wall Las Memorias Project, which provides HIV/Aids, substance abuse and LGBT services throughout Los Angeles.
"I try to be the eyes and ears of Joe Biden," she said. "I say, 'tell me your issues, tell me what's on your mind,' so I can take it back to my husband Joe. So that when we get to the White House, we can work on some of the things that really concern all Americans."
So far, the campaign hasn't been easy. Joe Biden trailed Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, and came in second to Sanders in the Nevada caucus last week. Biden is currently in South Carolina ahead of the primary there on Saturday.
But, Dr. Biden says, the family has been in politics a long time and knew this would be a tough campaign. She compared the race to running a marathon.
"This is like mile 4," she said.
The Biden campaign has been criticized by the progressive branch of the party who argue for more radical change that candidates like Sanders and Elizabeth Warren want to bring. Dr. Biden says her husband's goals for paying for college and enacting more stringent gun control are also progressive, but more importantly, achievable.
"He knows how he's going to pay for things, and he's pragmatic, and I think he knows how to get things done," she said.
