MICHELE NORRIS, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.
Over the course of the campaign, we've been speaking to the spouses of the presidential candidates. Today, we hear from Jill Biden. She's the wife of Delaware's Democratic senator, Joseph Biden. With just a day of campaigning left for the Iowa caucuses, Joe Biden is running a long shot campaign. A Des Moines Register poll today suggests he's supported by only four percent of likely caucus-goers.
For now, Jill Biden is Joe Biden's running mate. She's a community college professor in Delaware. And though she spends most of her week on campus, her weekends are spent on the campaign trail in Iowa with her husband and the extended Biden family. She says she and the three grown Biden children convinced Senator Biden to jump in the race.
Dr. JILL BIDEN (Wife of Senator Joe Biden): You know, it was after the last election. And I just saw the direction this country was going in, and I just felt so discouraged. Finally, we decided, you know, we have to go to Dad with this. And we did.
NORRIS: And his reaction?
Dr. BIDEN: Well, you know, when we approached him, and we said we want to have a family meeting, we want to talk to you about something, I think he thought, "Oh gosh, they're going to tell me, no, absolutely not, we don't want you to run. But we went in there and we said, Joe, you know you're the only who can do this. And we believe in you. And it was pretty emotional.
NORRIS: He said yes right away?
Dr. BIDEN: Yeah, he did. You know, I knew he wanted to run. And we had to wait for the right time.
NORRIS: Now, if he wants to run for president, and he is running for president, I mean, he had to go back and begin this race in the place where his last presidential run started to implode, really, when, when he delivered a speech and was accused of plagiarism, and that was sort of the beginning of the end. Was that difficult for him? And what did he do to prepare himself psychologically for that?
Dr. BIDEN: Well, I think, actually, he had rehabilitated himself in the sense that I think he had built his stature. I mean, certainly in the foreign policy community, certainly among the press. I mean, it's been 20 years. So during that time, it wasn't that he worked toward running for president again, but I think he got the reputation that he has today of being a foreign policy expert.
NORRIS: You know, I wonder if you have been involved at all in the long-term strategy. At what point does he have to start bringing in a first, second, third place finish, a strong finish to stay alive in this race once you get beyond these first two or three early contests in these early states. I mean, outside…
Dr. BIDEN: Well, let's face it…
NORRIS: …you know, because at that point, the campaign just, you know, fans out.
Dr. BIDEN: Yeah, yeah. I mean, really and truly. I mean, if he doesn't do well in the first, in Iowa and New Hampshire and Nevada and South Carolina, there's no point in going on. It's too expensive and it takes too much time and too much energy and there would be no point. But I'm not expecting that to happen. I'm expecting he's going to do really well in Iowa, and I think he's going to surprise a lot of people.
NORRIS: When you decided to jump in the race, run for president, you make a certain sacrifice. Sacrifice in terms of time spent with your family and friends. In terms of the time you spent at home. You often have to step away from your day job so you can spend all this time in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Dr. BIDEN: Yeah.
NORRIS: What kind of toll does it take on a family and on a marriage to go through this?
Dr. BIDEN: Well, actually, I think, in our case it's made us a stronger family because every member of the family is out there campaigning. And that means, I mean, his sister is running Iowa. Missy, her daughter, travels with me. And she's the field coordinator. My sons are out there every weekend, Ashley travels out there every weekend. Really, it's something that we're doing together.
NORRIS: When you went to your husband and asked him, implored him to run for president, you were asking him to run for president, but in doing so, you are also deciding that you are going to be running for the position of first lady. Do you — how strong is that ambition for you?
Dr. BIDEN: Probably not that strong. I mean, I say that I'm apolitical if that's at all possible being married to Joe for 30 years. But, you know, it's a great opportunity. And one thing I will be is the education first lady. I mean, I'm going to push education, education, education, and not just in the classroom. I mean, as far as preventative health issues, childhood obesity is a major problem, stopping adolescents from smoking.
NORRIS: You sound like you plan on being a fairly activist first lady.
Dr. BIDEN: Absolutely.
NORRIS: Sitting in on cabinet meetings?
Dr. BIDEN: No. No. Anybody who knows me will say I will not be sitting at the cabinet meetings. I would be out meeting with people, going to schools, meeting with teachers, you know, going to battered women shelters. The sort of things I do now.
NORRIS: Doctor Biden, thank you very much for coming to talk to us.
Dr. BIDEN: Oh, you're welcome.
NORRIS: All the best to you.
Dr. BIDEN: Oh, thank you.
NORRIS: That was Dr. Jill Biden. She's the wife of Democratic candidate and Delaware Senator Joe Biden.