Vice President Joe Biden Is Seriously Exploring A Run For President

Vice President Joe Biden is seriously considering a run against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

The New York Times reported:

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his associates have begun to actively explore a possible presidential campaign, which would upend the Democratic field and deliver a direct threat to Hillary Rodham Clinton, several people who have spoken to Mr. Biden or his closest advisers say.

Mr. Biden’s advisers have started to reach out to Democratic leaders and donors who have not yet committed to Mrs. Clinton or who have grown concerned about what they see as her increasingly visible vulnerabilities as a candidate.

The conversations, often fielded by Mr. Biden’s chief of staff, Steve Ricchetti, have taken place through hushed phone calls and quiet lunches. In most cases, they have grown out of an outpouring of sympathy for Mr. Biden since the death of his son Beau, 46, in May.

In his final days, Beau Biden tried to convince his dad to run for president. Sympathy for the Vice President along with unease about how the Clinton campaign is unfolding have combined to create a dynamic that has opened the door for Biden to explore another run at the White House.

Joe Biden’s potential run is a sign of the unease some Democrats are feeling with the way that the Clinton campaign is being run. If Vice President Biden would enter the race, polling shows that he would immediately jump into second place in the Democratic field. Biden would give Democratic voters a direct connection to the Obama administration, and inject competition into the race.

The effort to mobilize a Biden campaign also reflects the concern of establishment Democrats that Bernie Sanders could win Iowa and New Hampshire. Establishment Democrats view Sanders as unelectable in a general election, so in this context a Joe Biden candidacy is a backup plan in case Hillary Clinton implodes.

The talk of a Joe Biden run has from chatter among a few Biden outsiders to the Vice President giving serious consideration to jumping in. A Biden run would energize the Democratic field, and provide an intriguing twist to a contest that has already had more than its share of twists and turns.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association