WASHINGTON _ Despite months of hand-wringing over his vulnerabilities, Joe Biden enters 2020 with the biggest and broadest base of support in the Democratic primary.
But if he is going to win the party's nomination to take on President Donald Trump, he must first survive the gauntlets of Iowa and New Hampshire.
In a race with four closely divided leading candidates, the most important question has become whether Biden can win _ or at least stay competitive _ in February's first two contests. It's far from assured he will. Even as the former vice president has maintained a lead in national polls, he trails in Iowa and New Hampshire.