By Gaby Lohner
Rumors are flying about Vice President Joe Biden’s potential 2016 presidential run. After months of speculation, it appears we might soon receive our final answer. Biden was most recently placed in the public eye after his son, Beau Biden, passed away in late May after a long fight with brain cancer. According to an unnamed source, Beau spoke with his father about running for president, what some news outlets dubbed his “dying wish.” Since then, the gossip has only continued to grow. Though Biden still has not declared he will run, there are signs that a campaign seems to already be underway.
One of the more convincing signs that the vice president is gearing up for a presidential run is that he recently met with campaign financers such as Robert Wolf, a former CEO who helped fund both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns. Wolf already pledged his support to Hillary Clinton, but he met with Biden in secret this September. This may indicate that Wolf would support Biden’s campaign instead of Clinton’s. Though Biden would be starting late into campaign season, making it difficult to acquire enough funding to run a campaign, The Washington Post reports that only 52 of the 770 people who donated to Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012 have donated to Clinton’s campaign. Many of these donors are anticipating that Biden will run, after a member of Draft Biden, a Super PAC created with intentions to convince Biden to join the race, was overheard saying, “I am 100 percent that Joe is in.” Nonetheless, Biden is still hesitant. During a moving interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he said that he only believes someone should run for president if “they can look at folks out there and say, ‘I promise you, you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy, and my passion to do this,” something he is unsure he could do.
Biden was recently a guest on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he spoke frankly about the loss of his son and the possibility of a campaign.
If Biden does in fact commit to a campaign, it will most likely be announced prior to October 13, the date of the first Democratic presidential debate. There, Biden would square off against democratic hopefuls, most notably Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. A few months ago, Clinton was the clear frontrunner of the Democratic Party, but lately her popularity is decreasing, in part due to accusations that she sent classified information on her personal email account while she was secretary of state. Clinton’s popularity in the polls continues to fall, as Sanders’ continues to grow. Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont and self-described “democratic socialist,” brings passion and energy to the Democratic campaign. Although Sanders has big plans for America, many worry that those plans are too big to be feasible. Neither candidate appears to be the clear frontrunner for the nomination, which gives Biden an opportunity to jump in to the campaign.
“[Biden] had a tough road in his personal life and he’s become more human.”
The fact is that people like Joe Biden. At his recent public appearances, he has been accompanied by groups of people urging him to run. He is viewed in a positive light with Democrats and is described by Van Jones of CNN as having “the kind of authenticity we need.” His interview with Stephen Colbert, where he spoke about the tragedies he has overcome, including losing his first wife and daughter in a car crash and the recent death of his son, was touching and raw. Biden has captured the trust of the American people; Jones speaks to this and shows a stark contrast between Clinton and Biden, saying “Hillary Clinton has had a tough road in public life. She’s become more armored because of it. He’s [Biden] had a tough road in his personal life and he’s become more human.”
Furthermore, Biden has considerable political experience. He started his political career as a senator in Delaware, where he became Delaware’s longest serving senator. He even has experience campaigning for president; he ran in 1987 and 2008. The qualities that Biden possess politically and personally guarantee that, if nothing more, he can shake up the race for the Democratic nomination.
As we approach the October 13 Democratic debate, many are gearing up for the potential – and likely – announcement of Biden’s presidential campaign. With high public approval, interested campaign donors, and even President Obama’s “blessing,” it appears that Joe Biden is ready to start his third and most important presidential bid. Third time’s the charm, right?
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