Meet Joe Biden's Super Fans. No, Really.
Kyle Charland loves Joe Biden.
“When they call him Uncle Joe, that’s like the perfect thing because you feel like you know him even though you don’t,” he said.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Charland, a 35-year-old from Royal Oak, Michigan, temporarily had to go on unemployment when he couldn’t go to his job in retail. But even that didn’t stop him from donating to Biden.
“Even though I was on unemployment for a while, I was able to afford to give a little bit. But now that I’m back to work, I donate every week, and every time they text me, I’ve been donating too,” he said.
Plenty has been written about how Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, may have an enthusiasm problem. An ABC/Washington Post poll from August found that 44% percent of adults supporting Biden say they’re enthusiastic about supporting him, compared to 56% for Trump.
But true Biden super fans like Charland do exist. They’ve started up online booster networks, written him letters and named their dog after him. They don’t just want to beat Donald Trump ― they want Biden to be the next president.
“I wear Biden head to toe every day when I’m not at work,” said Charland, who also took the week off of work to watch the Democratic convention in August. “I have a hat. I have a mask. I have about six shirts. In my car ― I just bought a flag for it. I call it the Bidenmobile. I have bumper stickers on the back. So if I’m not working, I have a Biden uniform that I go out in every day. ... I get to meet a lot of people, like at the grocery store, and talk to them about Biden. It’s really cool.”
There’s no doubt that Trump inspires a fierce devotion in some of his most hardcore supporters. The worry among some Democrats is that his base will turn out while Democrats ― many of whom supported other candidates in the primary ― may sit home, unexcited and uninspired.
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