Noting that she's "very certain that his stuttering really chiseled who he is," Owens argued that "because of it, he developed a backbone of steel and became a little boy of courage, and a little boy with a great deal of empathy.". Owens is the son of the president's sister, Valerie Biden Owens, and her husband, Jack. I mean, it was just this room packed full of people, and they were rabidly cheering for Bernie. My vote is too expensive. She continued, "My mom would always say to us that 'There's nobody better than you, but you're no better than anybody else.' Joe Biden has had a lot of hits. In 2016, she served as U.S. Senior Advisor to the United Nation, and has worked with Womens Campaign International. The mother of three shared a. Its a powerful moment, where he relates his personal story to their tragedy. Could winning the crucial black vote in South Carolina change the course of the former vice presidents struggling campaign? (Ms. Margolies said Ms. Owens was not paid for her appearances. **INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** A memoir from Valerie Biden Owens, Joe Biden's younger sister, trusted confidante and lifelong campaign manager. Do you think the black vote is changing? Grief-stricken, Mr. Biden thought about relinquishing his Senate seat. As Owens told PBS' Frontline, it was Dec. 18 when she "got a call from Jimmy Biden, and he said, 'Come home, now. His approval rating is at 90 percent with the Republican Party. Thats the kind of person he is. I thought that he would have been could have served as a tremendous president. What was it like growing up in Lower Richland in the, what, 50s, 60s? As per the sources, he has two sisters in the family named Valerie James Owens (also known as Missy Owens) and Catherine Eugenia Owens (also known as Casey Owens Castello). A seven-year-old Valerie, wearing her First Communion dress, stands alongside her brothers Joe and Jimmy. I used to think that that was the way to win. Ms. Owens is advertised by several speakers bureaus, with one listing her minimum speaking fee at $40,000. Vice President Biden will win. You thought Steyer couldnt make it out, and you didnt want Bernie to have a bad showing in South Carolina because you dont think Joe is the candidate. As The New York Times notes, Owens also had a lengthy career as executive vice president of Joe Slade White & CO, a consulting firm "marketing candidates in dozens of national races." LA-based attorney Owens, is the son of Joe Biden's sister Valerie Owens, who advised his 2020 campaign Reality TV star Meghan King, 37, had only revealed they were together in September a. And she never saw raising her nephews as a sacrifice. Oh, yeah, Im for Joe Biden! The two tied the knot in 2014 and share three children together: Aspen King, Hart, and Hayes. Im out campaigning for Joe Biden. Owens has worked with the service organization Ministry of Caring for over 35 years and sits on their Board of Directors. ", Owens also spoke of that notion, which she called "the doctrine of resilience," with PBS' Frontline, revealing how her mother taught all four of her kids "that failure would happen in everyone's life, but giving up was unforgivable." Everybody was so gung-ho. Black people, white people, Hispanics, Asians. Joe Biden has bet on a similar firewall, but if he doesnt get those same margins cant replicate what Clinton and Obama did then even a slight win in South Carolina might be the beginning of the end for his candidacy. Because you cant fire your sister.. My gut told me that I needed to go, I needed to go with Bernie. ", Although Valerie Biden Owens told PBS' Frontline that she "wasn't building a rsum for a political future," but merely "building the campaign for Joe" when she put her job on hold to help Joe Biden run for the US Senate in 1972, she's managed to do just that. He really I mean, he had a plan. Hes of his own generation and is looking at this political moment with his own lens. If he was supposed to win by 30, by 40 . Biden Owens is the son of POTUS' sister and closest adviser, Valerie Biden Owens. Yall here now, so I might as well let yall in on this side. [7], Owens graduated from Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware in 1963, and went on to study at the University of Delaware, where she was on the dean's list and was homecoming queen, graduating in 1967. It could send the message that the old way of doing things, where you can run in South Carolina and pass out a bunch of dollar bills and think that thats the end of it, or feed people a chicken sandwich or a fish fry . As the mother of three children, teacher and longtime campaign manager puts it: "It's fair. A memoir from Valerie Biden Owens, longtime political strategist, one of the first female campaign managers in United States history, and younger sister of Joe Biden. She added, "And you don't get up by stepping on somebody else's face or kicking them in the back. And while Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen did add that "Valerie is the President's oldest and closest political advisor [and] that will never change," she conceded that Owens "is the first to know that his role is different now and so is hers.". Seriously? It was also clear that they felt as if their work was done. Ms. Alexander, the spokeswoman for the Biden campaign, said both women brought impeccable academic and professional credentials to their government jobs. Valerie Biden Owens is one of the first women in the United States to have managed a modern U.S. Senatorial campaign, as well as a Presidential campaign. Politics, Money, Siblings: The Ties Between Joe Biden and Valerie Biden Owens, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/us/politics/valerie-joe-biden-sister.html. And while he was going, my brother died in his arms. Its a great turnout. I mean, we just thought he could fundamentally win. Yall came to the door. The Bidens are a very close family and they always try to help each other, said Mike Lux, a Democratic strategist who worked in Mr. Bidens 1988 presidential campaign. And youre saying, its all right. He just laid it all out. Wait till I get to South Carolina. She is the younger sister of Joe Biden, the 46th and current President of the United States. Do you remember when you first heard Tom Steyers name? And its an example of what many black South Carolinians say about Joe Biden. I mean, I drive an overpriced car. But I dont think that he is as I dont think that he is as forceful on issues as he has been in the past. But he was second-guessing his vote for Tom Steyer. As Owens toldAPin 2020, their "family code" has always dictated that "it's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get up." [29][30][31], The University of Delaware bestowed an Honorary Doctorate of Law to her in 2018. [17] Owens currently sits on the advisory board for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Public Policy Institute. Im going to do everything in my power to earn your respect, earn your vote. Valerie Biden Owens may not be in the spotlight as much as her brother, but that hasn't made her immune from becoming the subject of fake news stories. Harvard University honored her with their 'Women Inspiring Change" award in 2015. [11][12] In 2013, Owens traveled with her brother Joe Biden to the Vatican City as an official U.S. delegate for the inauguration of Pope Francis. Cuffe Biden Owens hails from Los Angeles, California, USA. I mean, thats shock of all shocks. I really believe in a connection. Valerie is one of the president's closest confidantes, having seen her brother through a slew of. Whether or not this has been true for the Reckoning Crew, the evidence tells us there has been some drift away from Biden across the state. I had a brother, who was between me and my sister. Owens's first husband, Bruce Saunders, handled the budget. [CHEERING] Thank you, Pittsburgh! Some has come from billionaire Tom Steyer, the businessman whos invested a lot of time and money in the state, and some has come from Bernie Sanders, who has experienced some success in the early states and is benefiting from name recognition from his last presidential run. I was like, wait, what? So I voted for Joe. And thats what hurt. Valerie Biden Family. He loves to spend time with his family members. Thats what they were doing in South Carolina. I did know. What were year were you born? She remained with the company until Mr. White dissolved it in 2016, but said she took a leave during Mr. Bidens Senate campaigns as well as his 2008 run for the Democratic nomination, when his campaign paid the firm about $1.6 million. But as Ted Kaufman, who has worked with Biden since the '70s, said in his Oral History Interviews, she was made for the role. And on top of it all, just the aesthetics dont work. Meghan shares three children with her ex-husband, . She helped to found the Owens-Patrick seminar group. You know what makes a beautiful church, though? Owens was in attendance at the event in Wilmington, Delaware, where she also met Maya Harris, the sister of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Yeah, its the Reckoning Crew. The Reckoning Crew. Sometimes, you doubt. Asked to define "the Biden way," she also shared how her parents put great emphasis on respect, saying, "Mom and Dad told us that the most important thing in life was family and that it was our job to take care of each other." Over the years, Owens has applied her political acumen to nurture other careers. Listen, we didnt have those services because, you know, we didnt count. [6] Her brothers are Joe, Francis "Frank" Biden, and James "Jim" Biden. Valerie Biden Owens, author of the new memoir Growing Up Biden, might have given away the recipe during a recent chat at Mitchell Hall with "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski. So across town, we meet up with Dalhi Myers. While there is no clear consensus on Valerie Biden Owens' net worth, some sites have placed it at between $3 and $5 million as of 2020. And the machine she describes is Bernice. But it also makes the groups voting power, or determinative power, less in the primary. Ms. Owens campaigns for her brother at a luncheon last October in Hilton Head, S.C. Do the sources know the information? I had a better seat at the table because my brother is at the head of the table, Ms. Owens has said, acknowledging the symbiosis of the relationship. Can we corroborate the information? And we dont need a voice of moderation right now. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Valerie Biden Owens (From left) Marc Lasry, Susan Harrison, Edward Harrison and Valerie Biden During his years in the Senate, Biden's family benefited financially in other ways as he. ", Following the tragic loss of his wife and daughter in 1972, U.S. Senator-Elect Joe Biden considered dropping out of the Senate, but Valerie Biden Owens wouldn't allow it. We know his record. And year after year, cycle after cycle, the candidate that he chooses has gone on to become the Democratic nominee. Valerie's work has brought her around the world. "In a strange way Neilia's death brought Jack and Val together," Biden wrote in his book. In his memoir, Biden touches on the friendly intervention he took in his sister's love life. Obama versus Hillary, who did you support? And for us lay people, what does that mean? The group had gotten together to go door knocking for Biden. As deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told BuzzFeed News in 2020, Owens "is kind of the connective tissue throughout the course of the campaigns from '72 to today. Owens' rsum includes many impressive political positions, including, as her official bio states, being "one of the first women in the United States to have managed a modern U.S. Senatorial campaign, as well as a Presidential campaign.". Lets get back to What is normal? Mrs. Biden Owens has led every campaign in her brother Joe Biden's political career, including his seven straight U.S. Senate victories and his run for two Democratic Presidential nominations. In doing that, it takes Bernie Sanders from being the least electable candidate to the only one who can build that type of coalition. Why do you think so many politicians come to churches in South Carolina? In the Democratic debate, candidates universally went after Bernie Sanders, putting him on the defensive. Vogue even went as far as to call her "the Joe Biden whisperer. If you cant motivate me to go vote for you, and I want to vote for you, how are you going to get people who are not inclined to go vote to go vote for you? A memoir from Valerie Biden Owens, Joe Biden's younger sister, trusted confidante and lifelong campaign manager. Astead. Ms. Owens remarried in 1975, and her second husband, John T. Owens, a lawyer and businessman, also moved in with Mr. Biden. Joe Biden was three years old when he got a little sister, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Well, it was basically a black community. Here's what you need to know about one of Biden's closest confidantes. Owens, 42, is the son of Biden's younger sister, Valerie Biden Owens. [CHEERING], We were told that it was going to rain, and thered be a small turnout. 64, I voted for Johnson. Im Bernice Scott. Let us stand for the call to worship. None of us want to see our children leave here before we do. I did not give it much credence. A win is a win. Here's what you need to know about Valerie, a pivotal part of the future president's life. She quit her job as a teacher to stay home with the boys full time. The status quo just wont do. It is the place where you can impact the most people at any given point in time. She and Owens shared their relationship publicly for the first time on Instagram just last month. Shes also been a leader within the Democratic National Committee, serving on the National Board of the Womens Leadership Forum. She believed in us, and because of that, we believed in ourselves. I just, I just knew that if it was not Joe, who would it be? Shes been on my handlebar since she was 3 years old, he told another South Carolina church gathering. and has played an instrumental if underrated role in many of his successes. Bishop Myers says he just had a good feeling about Biden. Beau Biden, Mr. Bidens late son, congratulates his cousin and campaign manager, Missy Owens, during his victory celebration in 2006. It was a gift, Owens told the New York Times in 2008. In his memoir Promises to Keep, Biden elaborates on the instrumental role Owens played in holding the family together. When their marriage didn't work out, Biden introduced her to her next husbandhis best friend from Syracuse Law School, John "Jack" Owens. That hes been there, that they know him and that they trust him. All of my friends are like, Dalhi, really? Its been one of his hallmarks. "As a sister, I saw my brother come alive again," Owens said, calling her sister-in-law "a gift to my brother. And I said, yeah, Ill come. Fittingly, she is the vice chair of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware, and is the vice chair of the Biden Foundation. Thats not because hes some political psychic. Thats why I know yall are strangers. She and her brother have been an indomitable team since they were children. The Real Housewives of Orange County alum, 37, did, however, inform her ex-husband, Jim Edmonds, . According to Biden, the date was a disaster. It is nice to meet you. Biden still has a healthy lead, but these two candidates have put some pressure on Biden in South Carolina. But only partially. ", "Meghan King Says She 'Learned Some Big Lessons' as Marriage to Cuffe Owens Is Officially Annulled", "Meghan King and Cuffe Owens' marriage to be annulled", White House Archives for President Barack Obama, Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valerie_Biden_Owens&oldid=1134792178, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 20 January 2023, at 17:53. Now, Owens finds herself at the door of the White House, with her older brother as always. Prior to his dad, Cuffe's mom married Bruce Saunders. Valerie and her husband, John T. Owens, have three children, none named Stephen. In 2008, Owens gushed (viaThe New York Times), "He's been my best friend all my life" and later told PBS' Frontline, "From the time that I was a little girl, my big brother Joey took me with him wherever he went [] I was fast and furious, keeping up with him." 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That was the case in 1998 when a call came in to then-Mayor Rudy Giulianis office at City Hall: Mr. Biden wanted Mr. Giuliani to hire his niece, Missy Owens Valeries daughter for a midlevel job in the administration. On the campaign trail, Ms. Owens often recalled how her brother empowered her as a young girl. Second, Valerie and her husband, John T. Owens, have three children, but none is named Stephen. "I promise you, Valerie, if I could pick any guy in the world for you, it would be Jack Owens, Neilia said. They finally got together in the aftermath of the deadly car accident. And so Im not convinced that those same people are going to overnight on election day, all of a sudden, not approve of Trump enough to vote for a Democrat theyre not voting for a Democrat. Valerie released her memoir Growing Up Biden on April 12, 2022. I was excited for him. Dennis Owens is a 6o-year-old American Anchor at ABC27. She goes from being a Biden volunteer to giving up on him. But these women are confident that the vote is still there. Biden was "a man with a broken heart," but that changed when Jill Jacobs came along. As a volunteer, she has traveled extensively with Womens Campaign International, a State Department- and USAID-funded organization operated by Marjorie Margolies, a former member of Congress who is also Chelsea Clintons mother-in-law. I was like, Courtney, really? King, 37, is best known for her role on "The Real Housewives of Orange County" from 2015-2018. But that is not true. Owens, 74, is married to her second husband, John Owens, a lawyer and businessman who was Joe Biden's best friend at Syracuse Law School. From Biden's relationship with Kamala Harris to his tragic life story, his happy marriage, and beyond, no stone has been left unturned when it comes to the father of four. Owens, 42, is a Los Angeles-based attorney and the son of the president's sister and close adviser, Valerie Owens, and her husband, Jack. Biden is the oldest of four siblings born to a Catholic family in Scranton, PA, per Biography. Nevertheless, Owens calls it "a great gift, because he did not let the stuttering define him. The Daily is made by Theo Balcomb, Andy Mills, Lisa Tobin, Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Annie Brown, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Larissa Anderson, Wendy Dorr, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Alexandra Leigh Young, Jonathan Wolfe, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, Adizah Eghan, Kelly Prime, Julia Longoria, Sindhu Gnanasambandan, Jazmn Aguilera, M.J. Davis Lin, Austin Mitchell, Sayre Quevedo, Neena Pathak, Dan Powell, Dave Shaw, Sydney Harper, Daniel Guillemette, Hans Buetow and Robert Jimison. In 2008, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released a report, A Family Affair that analyzed payments by members of Congress to their relatives. You know, I spoke to some people after church yesterday and um . The pair divorced and Owens soon found love again with Biden's best friend from law school: John T. Owens. "Valerie was absolutely incredible in running his campaign. Moreover, he is quite famous in his field. In 2008, Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary by around 30 points. Literally, literally, youre able to do this. When I went to school, I had to walk about five miles to go to school as a kid. After graduating from the University of Delaware, Valerie married a man named Bruce Saunders. But margins do matter, particularly in South Carolina. But I guess I kind of woke up and realized, who wins an election saying, Ill take you backwards? 446 ratings101 reviews. There was plenty of money around. A congressional ethics investigation found that participants were lavished with gifts. Like, how often are people for Joe versus not for Joe when youre knocking on doors? Yeah, black people. About a year ago, the Sanders campaign, and most other campaigns, reached out to me and asked me to come and sit with the candidate, do a small meet-and-greet. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Of course, Sanders has always had this type of energy. And so we have to inspire enough Democrats to go to the polls and vote. ", Valerie Biden Owens has been an integral part of Joe Biden's political career. Summoning an Irish-Catholic call to arms that elevates the importance of blood ties, the entire family pitched in. And the third is to unify this nation. [9][10], She has worked extensively with Women's Campaign International to help teach women how to develop and grow their political skills. He anchored the evening news at 6 Pm and 7 PM with his colleagues Alicia Richards and Valerie Pritchett. [32] And if hes not, and that vote splits across candidates, what does that mean for the Democratic primary? I need to mention, Joe is a good guy, but hes only going to bring us back to a place where we were. Let me thank all the people outside in a second overflow room. PA. Well, no way. In our family, it made perfect sense that I was going to be his campaign manager, Ms. Owens told a group in Allendale County in South Carolina, recalling their childhood in Delaware. President-elect Joe Biden began his victory speech by thanking the Delawareans who have supported him throughout his careerincluding his sister, Valerie Biden Owens. So your daughter did work some magic a little bit? I really appreciate it. You dont have to spend a lot of time guessing.. In 1975, she said "I do" to the businessman and lawyer, took his last name, and hadhim move into Joe Biden's home. I dont expect anything, but I know one thing. ", Despite major changes happening in her own life, her commitment to Biden and the kids never faltered. Jimmy told me," she admitted. Owens is a lawyer and the son of the president's sister, Valerie Owens. Valerie Biden Owens is the first woman in U.S. history to have run a presidential campaign that of her brother, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. She also led his seven straight U.S. Senate victories and has been his principal surrogate on the campaign trail. Biden family lore holds that Ms. Owens ran her brothers campaign for class president 60 years ago, and has been at it ever since. Valerie is married to her husband John T. Owens. Im your neighbor. Valerie Biden Owens Age. "On the way out the building, my brother looked at me and said, 'She's dead, isn't she?' [18], Owens has played a substantial role in all of her brother's political campaigns dating back to his first campaign, for the New Castle County, Delaware council in 1970. She'd been homecoming queen. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Mikayla Bouchard, Stella Tan, Lauren Jackson, Julia Simon, Mahima Chablani and Nora Keller. He did not let somebody else's opinion of him and description of him as a lesser person define him," she elaborated. Black people generally go to church. Take care, and many, many blessings in your endeavors. Have you ever voted for a candidate who felt more off with your policy goals? She has also benefited from her connections to her brother, receiving jobs, appointments and speaking engagements over the years. That figure becomes all the more impressive when you. By that time, Ms. Owens has said, she had been hired by Joe Slade White & Company, which she joined in 1997. It was an example of what many people dont like about Washington, said Michael J.G. Ultraconservative people like me who are voting for Bernie Sanders. Whoever black people vote for, that candidate will be the Democratic nominee. Val was the critical anchor who helped Joe decide he was going to remain in the Senate, and to decide he was going to go on with life, said Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, who has known the Biden family for years. The outlet also points out that Owens has a minimum speaking fee of $40,000 and cites how she was paid $51,286 in salary for Biden's 2002 campaign alone. One Facebook post even showed a photo of Joe Biden with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and said the latter was actually "his brother-in-law Stephen D Owens owner of Dominion voting system!" "As our mom said, family is the beginning, the middle and the end," Biden Owens said. That man is good to be able to stand. You can go early. How many how big was your family? Joe Biden Sr. later became a successful used car salesman, maintaining the family a middle-class lifestyle. Owens' first husband was Bruce Saunders, whom she married shortly after graduating college. Valerie Biden Owens is married to John T. Owens, not Stephen Owens, according to a wedding announcement in The New York Times. And Im not even inside yet, and I already know. Other examples include Ms. Owenss 2016 appointment by former President Barack Obama as alternate representative to the United Nations a largely ceremonial four-month job that paid about $26,000; her nearly 20-year career as vice president of Joe Slade White & Company, the media consulting firm that previously handled Mr. Bidens campaign commercials; and her current job as vice chair and a consultant at the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.