Subject: WSJ: Will He Run? Biden Speculation Mounts
From: "Alexander S. Mackler" <[email-masked]>
To: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>, "ted kaufman" <[email-masked]>, "Steve Richetti" <[email-masked]>, "Acdonilon" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2015 20:13:56 -0400

- POLITICS <http://www.wsj.com/news/politics>

Will He Run? Biden Speculation MountsBoth sons have urged the vice
president to enter 2016 presidential race, but so far a bid doesn’t seem
imminent
[image: Beau Biden, left, late son of Vice President Joe Biden, right, in
2012. Both of Mr. Biden’s sons are said to have urged him to run for
president.]ENLARGE
Beau Biden, left, late son of Vice President Joe Biden, right, in 2012.
Both of Mr. Biden’s sons are said to have urged him to run for president.
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
By
COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON And

PETER NICHOLAS
June 28, 2015 7:33 p.m. ET

When deciding whether to run for office, Vice President Joe Biden
<http://topics.wsj.com/person/B/Joe-Biden/6352> has made it a practice to
seek his family’s counsel. That advice has included at least two members of
his immediate family—his sons—urging him to run for president in 2016,
Biden friends and advisers say.

Before his death last month, elder son Beau Biden encouraged his father to
get into the race, people familiar with the matter said. And Hunter
Biden told a friend in recent weeks he, too, would like to see the vice
president wage one more campaign for the White House.

The Biden family’s wishes add an intriguing wrinkle to a Democratic
presidential race that has unfolded in unpredictable ways. But a White
House official said speculation about the vice president’s political future
was premature during this tough time for the family.

National polls show Hillary Clinton
<http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/Hillary-Clinton/6344> is the runaway
front-runner. But one rival has gained ground in New Hampshire as
revelations surface about Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private email account as
secretary of state and foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation. A
survey last week showed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders trailing Mrs. Clinton
in New Hampshire by just eight points.

Mr. Biden, 72 years old, lost two previous bids for the White House, in
1988 and 2008, and he would enter the 2016 contest as a clear underdog. Yet
as a sitting vice president with loyal supporters in states that hold early
contests, he has the potential to scramble the Democratic field.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll earlier this month showed that
Americans’ image of Mr. Biden is growing more positive. A total of 40% saw
him in a favorable light, versus 31% who had a negative view of him. In
November 2014, Mr. Biden’s favorability rating stood at 35%, compared with
38% who viewed him unfavorably.

Dick Harpootlian, a former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party,
had coffee with Mr. Biden at the White House in May, just days before Beau
Biden’s death at 46 from brain cancer. They talked through the possibility
of launching a campaign, Mr. Harpootlian said. “It’s no secret that Beau
wanted him to run,” he said. “If he does what Beau wanted him to do, he’ll
run.”

James Smith, a Democratic state representative in South Carolina, said that
in a conversation in the last two weeks, Hunter Biden reiterated that he
wanted his father to jump in the race. “He feels strongly about his dad
running and serving,” Mr. Smith said.

Hunter Biden, who is 45, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Several Biden allies said they expect a decision to come by August. But
some suggested a campaign isn’t likely to be at the top of the vice
president’s mind.

A spokeswoman for the vice president, Kendra Barkoff, said: “The Biden
family is going through a difficult time right now. Any speculation about
the views of the vice president or his family about his political future is
premature and inappropriate.”

Jay Carney <http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/Jay-Carney/6498>, a former White
House press secretary who once served as Mr. Biden’s communications
director, said, “Right now the vice president is focused on just two
things: his family and the job he has for another 18 months.”

As he has coped with the loss of his elder son, Mr. Biden has told friends
and colleagues that his best antidote to grief is to plunge into work. In
recent days, he delivered speeches and met with foreign leaders. He also
has been a visible public presence, standing at President Barack Obama
<http://topics.wsj.com/person/O/Barack-Obama/4328>’s side for both somber
and celebratory moments during what was one of the most consequential weeks
for this White House.

On Friday, the president and Mr. Biden mourned together in Charleston,
S.C., at the funeral of Clementa Pinckney, the pastor slain in the June 17
church massacre. Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley said he got a phone call
from Mr. Biden the day after the shooting. “He’s been through an awful lot
himself, and he understands what we’re going through,” Mr. Riley said. And
on Sunday, Mr. Biden made a surprise appearance at Charleston’s Emanuel AME
Church, in a show of solidarity for a grieving congregation.

Amid speculation about Mr. Biden’s plans, some supporters are trying to
create a campaign-in-waiting. An independent group called the Draft Biden
committee is working to nudge Mr. Biden into the 2016 fray. Ithas been
hiring staff in Iowa and New Hampshire and launching grass roots organizing
efforts.

Like Mr. Biden, the draft committee is a good-humored group that is serious
about politics. William Pierce, executive director of Draft Biden, said he
and his colleagues often ask themselves “W.W.B.D.” (What would Biden do?) A
life-size cutout of the vice president—dubbed “Cardboard Joe”—is
ever-present at the group’s events and has proved to be a draw in lieu of
an actual candidate. Supporters can buy “I’m ridin’ with Biden” merchandise
to back the cause.

Mr. Biden hasn’t signed off on the effort. But, Mr. Pierce is quick to
note, the vice president’s allies haven’t discouraged it, either.

Still, some Democrats say it is simply too late to launch a presidential
bid from what would be essentially a standing start.

Sue Dvorsky, former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said that none
of the talk of a Biden campaign had been followed by any sort of action.
“Joe Biden is beloved in Iowa, but honestly, I just don’t see it,” said Ms.
Dvorsky, who is backing Mrs. Clinton.

Write to Colleen McCain Nelson at [email-masked] and Peter Nicholas
at [email-masked]

-- 

Alexander Snyder Mackler
(302) 598-867