Source: TheGuardian
Joe Biden is nearing a decision about whether to run for president and would focus his campaign on middle-class issues, a top has aide in a letter to the vice-president’s former staff.
Ted Kaufman – a former Delaware senator who served as Biden’s chief of staff in the Senate – told former aides that Biden would need all of their help if he decided to enter the race.
In an email obtained by the Associated Press, Kaufman, who is advising Biden on a potential 2016 campaign, said on Thursday that any bid for the Democratic nomination would be an optimistic and unscripted “campaign from the heart.”
“If he runs, he will run because of his burning conviction that we need to fundamentally change the balance in our economy and the political structure to restore the ability of the middle class to get ahead,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman’s letter to so-called “Biden alumni” appeared designed to reassure the vice-president’s supporters that he is still actively considering a campaign and believes he could be competitive, despite Hillary Clinton’s strong performance on Tuesday in the first Democratic debate.
Since the debate top Democratic leaders have questioned whether it’s too late for Biden to mount a viable campaign — a concern Kaufman alluded to as he asked Biden loyalists interested in working for a potential campaign to “stay in touch”.
“If he decides to run we will need each and every one of you — yesterday!” Kaufman wrote.
In the letter Kaufman said Biden’s top consideration was the welfare and support of his family. The vice-president has said previously he is unsure he has the emotional fortitude to run following the death of his son, the former Delaware attorney general Beau Biden, from brain cancer in May.
“He is determined to take, and to give his family, as much time as possible to work this through,” Kaufman said.