Coons backs Biden for president

by Jordain Carney - 09/01/15 3:24 PM ET

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Tuesday backed a potential presidential bid from Vice President Biden, suggesting that he’s “unmatched” on foreign policy and national security.

“I would support Joe Biden as a candidate for president,” he said after a speech at the University of Delaware. “I think his senior and seasoned record on foreign policy and national security is unmatched.”

{mosads}Coons currently holds Biden’s former seat in the Senate, where he served more than three decades.

Coons’s support for Biden while unsurprising is a notable split from many of his Senate colleagues, including Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who are supporting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

It also comes as speculation about a potential Biden presidential bid continues to grow as Clinton faces a increasing number of questions from lawmakers, as well as an FBI investigation, into her use of a private email server during her time as secretary of State. The lingering questions have also caused Clinton’s poll numbers to take a hit.

The Delaware senator added that while he would support Biden, “he also deserves the time and the space to reach the decision that’s best for him and his family.”

Biden’s been publicly tight-lipped about if he will make another presidential run in the wake of his son Beau’s death from brain cancer in May.

He reportedly told a group of Democratic National Committee (DNC) members during on a conference call that he was assessing if he had the “emotional fuel” to make another run.

Coons credited Biden for being ready to answer questions about the Iran deal, which Coons announced his support for Tuesday, while also “being very respectful of my role as a senator … and very clear that my decisions are mine and mine alone.”

If Biden decides to run for president, he would likely face attacks from Republican presidential candidates, who have lined up against the agreement, for his role in selling the deal to lawmakers.

The White House inadvertently stirred the pot on a potential Biden candidacy earlier this month when White House press secretary Josh Earnest wouldn’t rule out a potential presidential endorsement if Biden runs, adding that making Biden vice president “was the smartest decision that [Obama] ever made in politics.”

Tags Chris Coons Joe Biden