Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recruited her would-be rival Vice President Joe Biden to campaign with her for president in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The event will take place on July 8, according to her staff.
Since claiming the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton has campaigned with top Democrats in an effort to unite the party around her bid to be President Barack Obama’s presidential successor. Clinton and Obama will campaign in North Carolina on July 5.
“Clinton and Vice President Biden will discuss their shared commitment to building an America that is stronger together and an economy that works for everyone,” the campaign noted in a statement.
Biden reportedly has a fraught relationship with Clinton, and seriously considered running against her.
“Those close to him say the mere mention of her name could make him fume, and he viewed her family’s potent, sometimes punishing political machinery with growing resentment,” The New York Times reported in October 2015, noting an “intense rivalry” between the two aging political figures.
Even after Biden decided not to challenge Clinton, he asserted that he “would have made the best president” if he had chosen to compete.
But Biden’s Scranton roots and common “lunch-bucket Joe” nickname offers a certain appeal that the Clinton campaign appears eager to deploy. The Vice President has a long history of being a team play as well as a record of offering enthusiastic endorsements.
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