WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Joe Biden is headed to Florida, where he’s sure to get a glimpse of his presidential prospects as he considers a late entry into the 2016 Democratic primaries.
Biden plans to appear at Miami Dade College and headline a private fundraiser for Senate Democrats on Wednesday as he mulls a potential challenge to Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton. Interest in a Biden bid has intensified in recent weeks as Clinton has struggled with what some Democrats consider a lackluster start to her campaign and scrutiny over her use of a private email account and server as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state.
“There’s a malaise inside the race right now with Clinton. People I know who are supporting her are not necessarily withdrawing, but are unenthusiastic,” said Tony Bisagnano, an Iowa state senator who backed Biden’s campaign in 2008 and wants him to run again.
But he cautioned: “We’re getting close to where it’s going to be a tough race if he waits much longer.”
A Democrat familiar with Biden’s deliberations said recent discussions have focused on whether Biden’s family would be ready to pursue a third presidential campaign only months after the death of the vice president’s son, Beau Biden.