Since shortly following Biden 's withdrawal from the presidential race , Obama had been privately telling Biden that he was interested in finding an important place for him in a possible Obama administration . Biden declined Obama 's first request to vet him for the vice presidential slot , fearing the vice presidency would represent a loss in status and voice from his Senate position , but subsequently changed his mind . In a June 22 , 2008 , interview on NBC 's '' Meet the Press '' , Biden confirmed that , although he was not actively seeking a spot on the ticket , he would accept the vice presidential nomination if offered . In early August , Obama and Biden met in secret to discuss a possible vice-presidential relationship , and the two developed a strong personal rapport . On August 22 , 2008 , Barack Obama announced that Biden would be his running mate . '' The New York Times '' reported that the strategy behind the choice reflected a desire to fill out the ticket with someone who has foreign policy and national security experience — and not to help the ticket win a swing state or to emphasize Obama 's " change " message . Other observers pointed out Biden 's appeal to middle class and blue-collar voters , as well as his willingness to aggressively challenge Republican nominee John McCain in a way that Obama seemed uncomfortable doing at times . In accepting Obama 's offer , Biden ruled out to him the possibility of running for president again in 2016 ( although comments by Biden in subsequent years seemed to back off that stance , with Biden not wanting to diminish his political power by appearing uninterested in advancement ) . Biden was officially nominated for vice president on August 27 by voice vote at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver , Colorado
2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
Joe Biden