Joe Biden was a Senator of the United States.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. ( [ ˈdʒoʊsᵻf_rɒbᵻˈnɛt_ˈbaɪdən ] born November 20 , 1942 ) is an American politician who was the 47th Vice President of the United States from 2009 to 2017 , having been jointly elected twice with President Barack Obama . A member of the Democratic Party , he represented Delaware as a United States Senator from 1973 until becoming Vice President in 2009 . He was first elected to the Senate in 1972 , and became the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history . 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 .