Vice President Joseph Biden Wednesday announced he would not be running for 2016 presidential election, ending months of puzzling silence on speculation that he might enter the fray for Democratic nomination.
Biden’s statement made in the the White House Rose Garden, with wife Jill and President Barack Obama on his side, paves the way for Hillary Clinton to be the first woman with a veritable opportunity to become president of the United States. On the other hand, Biden’s decision also saves the Democratic Party from political divisions. It also pitches Mrs. Clinton and Republicans in long political battles in the run up to the 2016 presidential election.
The 72-year-old politician has been a major Democratic voice over the decades on the Capitol Hill and as vice president has been a close and trusted advisor of President Obama. Personally, his political career is built on resilience, Biden showed in the face of deaths of his first wife and infant in 1972 car crash.
But the loss of his son Beau Biden this year means the family may not be ready for a long political campaign.
“Unfortunately, I believe we’re out of time — the time necessary to mount a winning campaign for the nomination. But while I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent. I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation,” the vice president said.
“And this is what I believe. I believe that President Obama has led this nation from crisis to recovery, and we’re now on the cusp of resurgence. I’m proud to have played a part in that. This party, our nation will be making a tragic mistake if we walk away or attempt to undo the Obama legacy. The American people have worked too hard and we’ve come too far for that. Democrats should not only defend this record and protect this record, they should run on the record,” Biden added.
On Tuesday, the vice president had underscored his experience as trusted advisor to President Barack Obama, especially on sensitive national security issues. Does that indicate Biden has firmly made up his mind to join the nomination race?
His highlighting leadership credentials raised expectations that Biden might go for a run.
His announcement closing the window for presidential bid comes amid a political scenario that has been increasingly turning in favor of lead Democratic hopeful Mrs. Clinton, who until her lively performance in the first Democratic debate appeared to be losing ground due to Republicans’ stepped up attacks on her use of a private email server as secretary of state..
Since last week, latest polls,, however, speak of much greater support for Mrs. Clinton in an indication of stiff task ahead for Biden, should he join the nomination bid, a year from the presidential election.
According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton has even substantially extended her lead over nearest Democratic rival Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – from 18 points in September to 31 points now.
The Post-ABC poll also found that Mrs. Clinton has regained confidence and backing of women, whites and older Democrats.
Biden, whose name had been reverberating in political discussions since summer this year, slipped from 21 percent last month to 16 percent currently in the likelihood among voters if a Democratic caucus or primary is held today.
On the Republican side, a new CNN/ORC poll revealed TuesdayDonald Trump and Ben Carson as the top two candidates vying for GOP nomination for the 2016 presidential election.
With respectively 26 percent and 22 percent support among Republican voters, Trump and Carson are way ahead of other candidates including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who along with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, trail them at third spot with each garnering 8 percent backing in a poll of conservative voters.
