Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) speaks during an “Opportunity 08″ issue forum at the University of Nevada, Reno Wednesday, August 22, 2007. The issue forum was sponsored by the Brookings Institute and UNR. (Photo by STEVE MARCUS / LAS VEGAS SUN)

(Editor’s Note: Biden dropped out of the presidential race for the Democratic nomination, following a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, 2007, where he got only about 2 percent of the delegate. See a video of his explanation . See a video of his explanation on his campaign Web site. )

Party: Democratic
Political Position: U.S. Senator from Delaware (1972-present)
Age: 64
Biden’s Credentials: The Delaware Senator, elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29, was once the rising star of his party, known for his quick mind and gifted speaking ability. A staple of the Sunday morning talk shows, he’s one of his party’s most knowledgeable thinkers on foreign affairs.

On Sept. 10, 2001, for example, he made a speech about the next great threat facing America: international terrorism. His plan for Iraq is to federalize it and given more autonomy to Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish areas.

Biden has been part of a number of high profile, dramatic Senate hearings during his career, and early on he understood the power of a televised hearing with the onset of 24-hour news.

Biden was a cogent critic of the Reagan administration during the Iran-Contra matter and helped engineer the hearings on the defeated nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Date of Birth: Nov. 20, 1942
Place of Birth: Scranton, Pa.
Home: Wilmington, Del.
Spouse: Jill Jacobs, 1977, second wife. (Hist first wife, Neilia Hunter, and infant daughter, Amy, died in an auto accident in 1972.)
Children: Joseph R. (Beau) III; Robert (Hunter), and Ashley; five grandchildren
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: B.A., University of Delaware, 1965; J.D., Syracuse University College of Law, 1968
Experience: Attorney (1968-72); Councilman, New Castle County, Del. (1970-72)
Notable: Biden — who travels 100 miles by Amtrak between Washington, D.C., and his home in Wilmington, Del., every day when Congress is in session — is one of the Senate’s better golfers with a 7.4 Handicap Index. Biden ran unsuccessfully in the 1988 presidential election.
Sun Archives: At UNR, Biden, Richardson tell how they’d boost schools
Biden on the Issues: A look at where Biden stands on the issues and how he has voted.
Nevada Contributions: A breakdown of Biden’s financial contributions from the Silver State.
State by State Contributions: A breakdown of Biden’s financial contributions across the U.S.
Biden’s MySpace Page: Read Biden’s profile information and leave a message.
Biden’s Facebook Page: Read Biden’s profile information and leave a message.
Biden’s Flickr Page: View Biden’s photos from the campaign trail.
Biden’s YouTube Videos: View Biden’s latest political videos.
Biden’s Blog: View Biden’s official campaign blog.
Contact Info:
Nevada Headquarters
2202 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 13
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 853-2008
nvinfo@joebiden.com
Campaign Manager: Luis Navarro and more key people
Website: www.joebiden.com

— Las Vegas Sun writer J. Patrick Coolican, web content editor Andy Samuelson, and intern Jenna Kohler compiled this report.