Why the missing of “Spring Interregnum” didn’t hurt Biden in the 2020 presidential election?
By: Xiaodong Fang
Tags: Democratic Party, Politics, President, Elections, Joe Biden

During a “Spring Interregnum,” the presumptive presidential nominees enjoy time to heal the wounds, unify the party, and prepare for the general election campaign.

Avoiding in-person public appearance, Democratic strategists worried that Biden was ceding too much ground to Trump by staying home.

How did the candidate’s appearance and the media coverage affect presidential elections?

Photo by Drew Perales on Unsplash

In a typical election year, there exists a “Spring Interregnum” — a period when the candidates have clinched their party nominations while still be waiting for the national party conventions to kick off the general election race. No doubt that 2020 is an unusual year. The Democratic nominating race finished in a short period of time as one-third of the states halted or canceled their primaries or caucuses.

Generally speaking, if a nominating race ends early, the presumptive nominee should enjoy more time to heal the wounds, unify the party, and prepare for the general election campaign. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 or for whatever reason, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was missing from the public appearance for more than two months from late March to Memorial Day. Some Democratic strategists worried that Biden was ceding too much ground to Trump by staying home. According to Politico,

“Even President Trump had knocked Biden for essentially campaigning from his basement.”

Although the Spring Interregnum is missing for 2020, the former Vice President Joe Biden shouldn’t regret the lack of public appearance in the spring. Regardless of the worries from his strategists, the presumptive Democratic nominee soared in national and battleground states’ polls in May 2020. It’s too hasty to judge that Biden would be hurt by the missing of “Spring Interregnum.” Three factors mitigated Biden’s lack of appearance in the spring.

Related: Three reasons Bernie Sanders shouldn’t quit so early in the nominating race

1. Delay of the Democratic National Convention

The schedule change had provided some sort of procedural compensation to Biden’s “inactive” campaign in the spring. The Democratic National Convention, which was set for July, was delayed until August as the coronavirus continued to spread. A late national convention means more time for Biden to seek support and unity within his party.

The 2020 Democratic National Convention was delayed and “all-virtual.” | Photo by Emmanuel Acua on Unsplash

Also, since Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign earlier in 2020 (Apr. 8) than in 2016 (not until the national convention), there was little primary injury for Biden to heal, and probably little effort needed to gain support from the party basement (assuming a smart pick of vice presidential nominee).

2. Affluent media coverage is a sure thing in the fall

Unlike the once crowded stage in the nominating race, the Democratic presidential nominee should never worry about the volume of media coverage in the general election campaign.

There is no shortage of media coverage on a presidential nominee during the general election campaign. | Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Even though Biden avoided in-person public appearance, the media wouldn’t cut the reporting and discussion on any statements made by the Democratic presidential nominee, let alone the coverage of certain essential events such as the three presidential debates.

Related: Why presidential debates don’t matter in the general election?

3. Neither candidate appearance nor media coverage votes

Donald Trump’s success in 2016 was partly due to his ability to draw media attention, especially the “earned media”. But that doesn’t mean Joe Biden, a well-established politician, should follow the suit of the political novice. Many political and environmental factors will play roles in determining the election outcome.

So many factors contribute to the voting decision. | Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash

The volume of media coverage matters, so does the big idea, candidate’s messages, campaign slogans, issues positions, and other uncontrollable events. Democratic campaign advisers had explored personalized strategies to maximize Biden’s advantage in lieu of catering to Trump’s enticement of a media war.