Biden raises USD 6.3 million in first 24 hours of announcing Presidential candidacy

Washington: Former US President Joe Biden raised USD 6.3 million in the first 24 hours after launching the presidential campaign for the 2020 elections, his campaign said on Friday (local time).

The fundraising haul surpassed the first-day totals of all his rivals, including the previous record set by former Republican candidate Beto O'Rourke, who had raised USD 6.1 million in the first 24 hours after announcing the candidacy last month, reported the Hill.

After months of deliberation, 76-year-old Biden on Thursday had announced his decision to run for the presidency for the third time. Following the launch of his campaign, he received 107,431 online donations from 96,926 individual donors in the first 24 hours.

"It is crystal clear from the last 24 hours that Americans are ready for dignified leadership, someone who can restore the soul of the nation, rebuild the middle class so everyone gets a fair shot and unite the country behind the core values we all believe in," said Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield. "That person is Joe Biden, and today’s announcement demonstrates Americans agree."

Joe Biden will be competing with 20 other candidates including heavyweights like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to win Democratic nominations.

His announcement signalled that the core message for his campaign would be that Donald Trump's presidency "has left the country in a state of crisis". 

This will be Biden's third attempt after two unsuccessful campaigns in 1998 and 2008. In 2008, he joined the Obama ticket as candidate for vice-president. He did not contest in 2016 after his son, Beau Biden, died of brain cancer.

Biden is also likely to face questions about his age. If he wins, he would be the oldest person to occupy the oval office - at 78 years of age.

Biden was first elected to the US Senate at the age of 29.