Joe Biden was a member of the Republican Party.
Joe Biden . A member of the Democratic Party , he represented Delaware as a United States Senator from 1973 until becoming Vice President in 2009 . United States presidential election, 2008 . Democratic Party nominees Barack Obama , a U.S. Senator from Illinois , and his running mate Joe Biden , a long-time U.S. Senator from Delaware , defeated Republican Party nominees John McCain , a long-time and current U.S. Senator from Arizona , and his running mate Sarah Palin , a Governor of Alaska .