Biden spends Easter Weekend in SC, prompting presidential speculation

South Carolina’s “First in the South” primary ranks among the most important early-state contests. Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that Biden will also be traveling to the state in May for the state’s Democratic Party dinner.

{mosads}The vice president is also expected to headline the Michigan Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Detroit this April. In January, he attended Iowa’s inaugural ball in another move some political watchers viewed as a signal he is considering a White House run in 2016.

That said, the Bidens have vacationed in South Carolina before. In 2009, the vice president and his wife spent a weeklong vacation on Kiawah Island.

Biden would be an early favorite in the Democratic field if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opted against another run. The vice president signaled some interest in a bid while campaigning for President Obama’s reelection last fall.

There could also be other political motives behind the vice president’s trip. South Carolina is currently in the midst of a special election in the first congressional district that will pit the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert against a still-undetermined Republican candidate. Former Gov. Mark Sanford earned the most votes in the GOP primary earlier this month, but fell short of the majority necessary to secure the Republican nomination.