‘Ridin With Biden’ Chocolate Bars a Hit at DNC Meeting
At DNC Summer Meeting, Dems sink teeth into 'Ridin With BIden' chocolate bars.
— -- Some might say it was the sweetest takeaway from the summer meeting of the Democratic National Committee: The “I’m Ridin With Biden” free chocolate bar.
DNC delegates arriving at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis were greeted by the chocolate bars at the registration desk. The candy is wrapped in a drawing of Vice President Joe Biden sitting in the driver’s seat of a convertible wearing sunglasses. They were created by the Draft Biden 2016 super PAC.
“The most fun is talking to people about a potential Joe Biden candidacy and really engaging with them on what they’re looking for in this presidential race,” said Josh Alcorn, a senior advisor to Draft Biden. “We had these chocolate bars with this ‘Ridin with Biden’ logo that were pretty popular here as well.”
The chocolate bars are just one step in a strategy the super PAC executed over the last few days at the DNC summer meeting to keep delegates' minds open to a potential presidential run by Biden. They also held off the record meetings behind closed doors with 65 to 70 people.
“He’s the original authentic candidate. I think folks are really craving that,” Alcorn said.
By Thursday afternoon, all the chocolate bars were gone, Alcorn said.
“I’m a chocolate freak,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party. “That’s the last thing I did before I went to bed, I ate a Hershey bar from the Draft Joe Biden chocolates.”
While Democrats seemed willing to bite into Biden candy, can they sink their teeth into a third presidential run from Biden?
“It’s good for the party to have the quality of candidates that we have today,” Hinojosa said. “And it will be good for the party to have Joe Biden if he jumps in.”
Vince Powers, chair of the Nebraska Democrats, joked that the Biden chocolate wouldn’t change any Democrat’s mind for or against a presidential run by the Vice President.
“People respect him and certainly if he chooses to run that will be well accepted, if he chooses not to run, that will be well accepted,” Powers said. “Somebody of his stature is held in high respect by the delegates and really Democrats across the country.”
Alcorn said that Biden is in the midst of a “deliberative process.”
“He’s weighing whether or not this is the right decision for him and so we’re just asking people to keep an open mind as he makes this decision,” Alcorn said.