“The next president of the United States, Joe Biden.” It’s June 9, 1987, and then-Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. has just entered the presidential race. Look familiar? The 2020 race is Biden’s third attempt at the Oval Office. He first ran for president 32 years ago. For those who may have forgotten or weren’t around in ’87, here’s what happened. Biden started off as a strong contender. “Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.” But his campaign was marred by some early blunders, like this one. “What law school did you attend and where did you place in that class?” “And the other question is—” “I think I probably have a much higher IQ than you do, I suspect.” And he exaggerated his academic record in law school. “—went back to law school, and in fact ended up in the top half of my class.” And then there were moments like this, repeated later during the campaign. “When I marched in the civil rights movement, I marched with tens of thousands of others to change attitudes.” But he never actually marched in the civil rights movement at all. Ultimately, it was accusations of plagiarism in his speeches “I did not know that was a Robert Kennedy quote. My mistake.” that forced him to drop out of the race. “I made some mistakes.” After that, Biden stayed in the Senate, ran again in the 2008 race, became the vice-presidential nominee, and then the vice president, laid low for a little while and now we’re here. “If I’m going to be able to beat Donald Trump in 2020, it’s going to happen here.” And certain things, including a handful of Biden’s vulnerabilities, haven’t changed. He’s still leaning into some of the core messages he highlighted during his first presidential run often emphasizing his profile over policy, promising to put the country on the right path after what he sees as the ills of Republican administrations. Here he is in 1987. “I tell you today that America is a nation at risk.” In 2007. “This president is going to be judged, and his administration judged, very harshly by history.” And in 2019. “We’re in the battle for the soul of this nation.” But Biden has struggled to project himself as a man in step with the times. And parts of his political history continue to haunt him, like his role in the questioning of Anita Hill in 1991. “It is appropriate to ask Professor Hill anything any member wishes to ask her to plumb the depths of her credibility.” And more recently, it was his relationship with personal space. “The boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset and I get it.” Throughout his more than four-decade-long career in politics, Biden has become known for his freewheeling charm and authenticity. “I’ve been referred to as ‘Middle-Class Joe.’ It’s not always meant as a compliment.” But his candor has also gotten him into some trouble. “I’ve done some dumb things and I’ll do dumb things again.” As the Democratic front-runner, Biden will be under a microscope. The question is whether he can harness the folksy appeal he’s become known for without repeating the mistakes of the past.