Warming the bench

Politics | Second-string Democratic candidates don’t mind waiting on the way to (maybe, maybe) winning | Jamie Dean

COLUMBIA, S.C.— In the children's section of the Happy Bookseller in Columbia, S.C., Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) stands on a wooden chair near the pop-up books, apologizing to a handful of supporters for his late arrival. About two dozen people are standing in a short line clutching copies of Biden's autobiography and waiting for his signature. The Democratic presidential candidate is still wearing his characteristic wide grin but admits that it's been a long day.

Long days are no strangers to presidential campaigns. But the payoff for front-runners like Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and John Edwards is immediate: boosted poll numbers and bursting campaign coffers.

But for the handful of second-tier Democratic candidates like Biden, the results are far from impressive: Biden has raised millions less than the front-runners and hovers at around 3 percent in the polls. What keeps these underdogs in a race that some pundits are declaring is over? Surprise: After the crowd at Happy Bookseller dwindled, Biden told WORLD he stays in the race—because he believes he can win.

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October 13, 2007, Vol. 22, No. 37

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