Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden has just won the 2020 United States Presidential Election after scoring over 270 electoral votes, ousting the incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump.

46th POTUS

While the Trump campaign has called for a recount of votes in states such as Wisconsin, Biden is likely to return to the White House as America's 46th president.

At 78 years old after his birthday on Nov. 20, Biden will be the oldest person in American history to be inaugurated as president.

While most know him as Barack Obama's running mate and VP, here are some things you may not know about the next POTUS.

First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972

At age 30, Biden became the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history when he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Delaware in 1972.

He was re-elected as Delaware's Senator six times, from 1973 to 2009, before he became VP.

Throughout his political career, he has often been characterised as a moderate Democrat.

First wife and daughter died in accident

Biden was married to his first wife, Neilia Hunter in 1966, and had three children with her -- Beau Biden, Hunter Biden, and Naomi Biden.

However, their bliss was short-lived after Neilia Hunter and their daughter Naomi were killed in a road accident in 1972, shortly after Biden became Senator-elect.

Their two sons were also injured in the accident, but survived.

"Six weeks after my election, my whole world was altered forever. While I was in Washington hiring staff, I got a phone call. My wife and three children were Christmas shopping, a tractor trailer broadsided them and killed my wife and killed my daughter. And they weren't sure that my sons would live," Biden recalled during a commencement speech he gave at Yale University in 2015.

He remarried in 1977 to Jill Tracy Jacobs, whom he met in 1975 on a blind date arranged by his brother.

They have one daughter together, Ashley Blazer Biden.

Ran for 1988 presidential campaign, but plagued by plagiarism controversies

As one of the strongest Democrat contenders for the 1988 U.S. presidency in the early days of campaigning, Biden formally declared his candidacy for 1988 Democratic presidential nomination in June 1987.

As a moderate with a prestigious profile at the time, Biden was considered one of the leading candidates until he was struck by controversy.

In September 1987, after three months into campaigning, he was accused of plagiarising a speech by British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock.

The accusations unravelled more occasions of Biden reportedly lifting parts of other politicians' speeches for his own, without giving credit.

While Biden admitted to it, he said that politicians often borrow from one another without giving credit.

The accusations further uncovered an incident during Biden's first year in law school, where he received a failing grade for a class after he wrote a paper that heavily relied on a single article which he cited only once.

He was allowed to repeat the class, and passed with high marks the second time.

According to New York Times, his first shot at presidency turned disastrous due to the controversies.

He eventually withdrew after just three and a half months of campaigning.

Vice President of the U.S.

Biden was picked by Obama as his running mate against John McCain and Sarah Palin in 2008.

While he rejected Obama's request to vet him for the vice-presidential position at first, he later changed his mind.

During his time as the VP, he was known for having pushed LGBT issues to the forefront, and was respected for his wealth of experience in public administration.

Biden stated in 2012 during a TV interview that he was "absolutely comfortable" with gay marriage, before Obama himself clarified his position in support of LGBT rights.

Biden's strong rapport and friendship with Obama during their eight years as partners together is no secret either.

He left his position as VP with some of the highest approval ratings he had gotten in years.

While Biden initially had plans to run for presidency in 2016, due to the death of his son, Beau Biden in 2015, he decided against running for the top political seat.

Building new legacy as oldest POTUS

It remains a question what sort of legacy Biden will leave behind in the next four years after he is inaugurated as the U.S. president.

His immediate challenge will likely be tackling Covid-19.

He has mentioned that he wants to establish at least 10 testing centres in every state, call upon federal agencies to deploy resources and give firmer national guidance through federal experts, according to BBC.

He has also said all governors should mandate wearing masks.

Biden's broader economic policies, which he has coined the "Build Back Better" plan, is looking towards increasing the minimum wage.

His plans also call for a US$2 trillion investment in green energy, arguing that boosting green manufacturing in turn supports working class union workers, who perform the majority of such jobs.

He also plans to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, which Trump withdrew from, and restore America's global reputation.

While it has yet to be seen if his policies will be effective, Biden will have four years to prove himself.

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Top image via Getty