Draft Biden memo: ‘The Colbert bump is real’

by Jesse Byrnes - 09/18/15 3:40 PM ET

A memo reportedly circulated among supporters hoping to lure Joe Biden toward a presidential bid cites a “bump” after his appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” last week.

The memo, which BuzzFeed published Friday, was sent to officials with the Draft Biden super-PAC by Meghan Gaﬀney Buck, a political operative who runs a startup in Washington, D.C.

“I am very pleased to report that over the past six days we have seen unprecedented levels of support for the Vice President and a huge outpouring of interest in Draft Biden,” Buck wrote.

“The power of the Vice President’s appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert cannot be understated. The Colbert Bump is real,” she added in the memo.

The memo cites an “800% increase in daily signups” online, saying that supporters were signing up to support the campaign six-times faster than is typically seen for campaigns.

Buck told BuzzFeed that around 200 people signed up to volunteer with the Draft Biden group within the first 72 hours after the Colbert interview aired last Thursday.

During the interview with Colbert, which turned emotional at several points, Biden opened up abut the loss of his elder son Beau at age 46 to brain cancer earlier this year.

He also expressed doubts about launching a White House bid given the emotional toll.

Tags Joe Biden