Vice President Joe Biden is having a “family conversation” this weekend to discuss his possible 2016 presidential campaign, according to CNN.
{mosads}Biden is meeting with his loved ones, sources told the news outlet, in an attempt at deciding if they are emotionally ready for his third Oval Office bid.
Rumors have circulated all summer that the vice president is weighing another shot at the White House following the death of his son, Beau Biden, in May. Beau Biden, 46, reportedly urged his father to enter the 2016 Democratic presidential primary before dying after a prolonged battle with brain cancer.
Politico reported on Tuesday that Joe Biden personally leaked details of his son’s wishes.
Joe Biden’s staff has since harshly disputed that assessment, given the Bidens’ closeness as a family in the wake of their hardships.
“The bottom line on the Politico story is that it is categorically false and the characterization is offensive,” a Biden aide told CNN on the condition of anonymity.
“I just don’t buy into the interpretation of that he would try and essentially politicize what was one of the most horrific events of his life,” added David Axelrod, who worked with Biden during his tenure as a senior adviser to President Obama.
Voter enthusiasm for Biden’s potential presidential campaign remains strong despite his lack of a formal entrance into the 2016 race.
Biden ranks third out of seven Democratic White House hopefuls with 18.9 percent, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls.
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