In March 2019 and April 2019, eight women accused Biden of previous instances of inappropriate physical contact, such as embracing, touching or kissing.[287] Biden had previously called himself a "tactile politician" and admitted this behavior has caused trouble for him.[288] In April 2019, Biden pledged to be more "respectful of people's personal space".[289]  Biden at a rally on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, February 2020
Throughout 2019, Biden stayed generally ahead of other Democrats in national polls.[290][291] Despite this, he finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses, and eight days later, fifth in the New Hampshire primary.[292][293] He performed better in the Nevada caucuses, reaching the 15% required for delegates, but still finished 21.6 percentage points behind Bernie Sanders.[294] Making strong appeals to Black voters on the campaign trail and in the South Carolina debate, Biden won the South Carolina primary by more than 28 points.[295] After the withdrawals and subsequent endorsements of candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, he made large gains in the March 3 Super Tuesday primary elections. Biden won 18 of the next 26 contests, putting him in the lead overall.