section_path: 2020 presidential campaign/Campaign
section_name: Campaign
paragraph_text: Campaign
  
  As the 2020 campaign season heated up, public polling showed Biden as one of the best-performing Democratic candidates head-to-head against Trump. With Democrats keenly focused on "electability" for defeating Trump, this boosted his popularity among Democratic voters. It also made Biden a frequent target of Trump. In September 2019, it was reported that Trump had pressured Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Biden and his son Hunter Biden. No evidence was produced of any wrongdoing by the Bidens. Trump was perceived by many as attempting to hurt Biden's chances of winning the presidency, resulting in a political scandal and Trump's impeachment.
  
  In March 2019 and April 2019, eight women accused Biden of inappropriate physical contact, such as embracing, touching or kissing. Biden had previously called himself a "tactile politician" and admitted this behavior had caused trouble for him. Journalist Mark Bowden described Biden's lifelong habit of talking close, writing that he "doesn't just meet you, he engulfs you... scooting closer" and leaning forward to talk. In April 2019, Biden pledged to be more "respectful of people's personal space".
  
  Throughout 2019, Biden stayed generally ahead of other Democrats in national polls. Despite this, he finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and fifth in the New Hampshire primary. He performed better in the Nevada caucuses, reaching the 15% required for delegates, but still finished 21.6 percentage points behind Bernie Sanders. Making strong appeals to Black voters on the campaign trail and in the South Carolina debate, Biden won the South Carolina primary by more than 28 points. After the withdrawals and subsequent endorsements of candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, he made large gains in the Super Tuesday primaries. Biden won 18 of the next 26 contests, putting him in the lead. Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg soon dropped out, and Biden expanded his lead with victories over Sanders in four states on March 10.
  
  In late March 2020, Tara Reade, one of the eight women who in 2019 had accused Biden of inappropriate physical contact, accused Biden of having sexually assaulted her in 1993. There were inconsistencies between Reade's 2019 and 2020 allegations. Biden and his campaign denied the sexual assault allegation.
  
  When Sanders suspended his campaign on April 8, 2020, Biden became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. On April 13, Sanders endorsed Biden. Barack Obama endorsed Biden the next day. On August 11, Biden announced U.S. senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first African American and first South Asian American vice-presidential nominee on a major-party ticket. On August 18, 2020, at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Biden officially became the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 2020 election.
  
  As the 2020 campaign season heated up, public polling showed Biden as one of the best-performing Democratic candidates head-to-head against Trump. With Democrats keenly focused on "electability" for defeating Trump, this boosted his popularity among Democratic voters. It also made Biden a frequent target of Trump. In September 2019, it was reported that Trump had pressured Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Biden and his son Hunter Biden. No evidence was produced of any wrongdoing by the Bidens. Trump was perceived by many as attempting to hurt Biden's chances of winning the presidency, resulting in a political scandal and Trump's impeachment.
  
  In March 2019 and April 2019, eight women accused Biden of inappropriate physical contact, such as embracing, touching or kissing. Biden had previously called himself a "tactile politician" and admitted this behavior had caused trouble for him. Journalist Mark Bowden described Biden's lifelong habit of talking close, writing that he "doesn't just meet you, he engulfs you... scooting closer" and leaning forward to talk. In April 2019, Biden pledged to be more "respectful of people's personal space".
  
  Throughout 2019, Biden stayed generally ahead of other Democrats in national polls. Despite this, he finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and fifth in the New Hampshire primary. He performed better in the Nevada caucuses, reaching the 15% required for delegates, but still finished 21.6 percentage points behind Bernie Sanders. Making strong appeals to Black voters on the campaign trail and in the South Carolina debate, Biden won the South Carolina primary by more than 28 points. After the withdrawals and subsequent endorsements of candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, he made large gains in the Super Tuesday primaries. Biden won 18 of the next 26 contests, putting him in the lead. Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg soon dropped out, and Biden expanded his lead with victories over Sanders in four states on March 10.
  
  In late March 2020, Tara Reade, one of the eight women who in 2019 had accused Biden of inappropriate physical contact, accused Biden of having sexually assaulted her in 1993. There were inconsistencies between Reade's 2019 and 2020 allegations. Biden and his campaign denied the sexual assault allegation.
  
  When Sanders suspended his campaign on April 8, 2020, Biden became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. On April 13, Sanders endorsed Biden. Barack Obama endorsed Biden the next day. On August 11, Biden announced U.S. senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first African American and first South Asian American vice-presidential nominee on a major-party ticket. On August 18, 2020, at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Biden officially became the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 2020 election.