Rendell: Biden ‘baked in’ as Democratic nominee

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Ed Rendell said in a new interview that he believes former Vice President Joe Biden has locked in the Democratic Party’s 2020 nomination for president.

In an interview airing Sunday on AM 970’s “The Answer,” Rendell told host John Catsimatidis that Biden was not weakened by recent gaffes on the campaign trail, predicting voters would not hold misstatements against the former VP.

{mosads}“I think Joe Biden is baked in. People say, oh well, he makes gaffes. Well, the American people have followed him for 40 years, and they know he makes gaffes. It’s part of his charm,” Rendell said.

“But it’s baked in. No one seems to hold it against him. They believe he’s a smart, decent guy. He’s got a good heart. And he’s effective at government,” the former DNC chair continued.

“I think in the end, Joe Biden will prevail. But you can’t be sure of that. [Sen.] Elizabeth Warren is coming on very strong. She’s a good campaigner. [Sen.] Bernie [Sanders] has a resolute following…You just don’t know how this is going to shake out.”

Biden has held a comfortable lead nationally in polls over his fellow Democratic 2020 contenders, but some polls have shown Sanders and Warren closing on the former VP, including an Economist/YouGov poll last week that showed Biden leading the two senators by single digits.