Clinton, Vilsack acknowledge possibility of Biden candidacy
August 26, 2015 |11:15 PM
ANKENY, Iowa — Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack went out of their way today to show respect for Vice President Joe Biden as he considers a run against Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
Asked about Biden’s candidacy at a news conference following her speech on rural policy, Cinton noted that the vice president is “a friend of mine.”
“We were colleagues in the Senate, I worked with him as first lady, I worked with him in President [Barack] Obama’s first term. He has to make what is a very difficult decision for himself and his family. He should have the space to decide what he decides to do.”
Clinton added that no matter what Biden does she is going to run for president and that she always expected the campaign to be competitive.
She said she is “going to run as hard as I can to convince as many people as possible” to support her.
Clinton said she has had no communication with Biden about a possible run.
“I just want the vice president to do what is right for him and his family. I don’t think it is useful to be behind the scenes asking what to do.”
Clinton said Biden’s decision “has to be a really hard one. I was at his son’s funeral. I cannot even imagine the grief and the heartbreak. Joe has had more terrible events than most people can even contemplate, losing his first wife, his first daughter, now losing his son.”
When a reporter called Vilsack “very tanned” from a recent vacation and asked him what the next Cabinet meeting is going to be like when he sees Biden, Vilsack said he was explaining to his friends in Iowa why he was supporting Clinton.
“I love Joe Biden just like we all do,” Vilsack said, adding that he endorsed everything Clinton said about the vice president, and that candidates need to know “where our friends stand.”
In response to another question, Vilsack said he did not time his endorsement in relationship to the speculation about whether Biden will run.
“I was on vacation,” he said. Knowledgeable sources have told The Hagstrom Report that Vilsack vacations on the New Jersey shore where his family went when he was growing up.
Biden said late today that he is not sure he has the “emotional fuel” for the race, CNN reported.
Asked about Biden’s candidacy at a news conference following her speech on rural policy, Cinton noted that the vice president is “a friend of mine.”
“We were colleagues in the Senate, I worked with him as first lady, I worked with him in President [Barack] Obama’s first term. He has to make what is a very difficult decision for himself and his family. He should have the space to decide what he decides to do.”
Clinton added that no matter what Biden does she is going to run for president and that she always expected the campaign to be competitive.
She said she is “going to run as hard as I can to convince as many people as possible” to support her.
Clinton said she has had no communication with Biden about a possible run.
“I just want the vice president to do what is right for him and his family. I don’t think it is useful to be behind the scenes asking what to do.”
Clinton said Biden’s decision “has to be a really hard one. I was at his son’s funeral. I cannot even imagine the grief and the heartbreak. Joe has had more terrible events than most people can even contemplate, losing his first wife, his first daughter, now losing his son.”
When a reporter called Vilsack “very tanned” from a recent vacation and asked him what the next Cabinet meeting is going to be like when he sees Biden, Vilsack said he was explaining to his friends in Iowa why he was supporting Clinton.
“I love Joe Biden just like we all do,” Vilsack said, adding that he endorsed everything Clinton said about the vice president, and that candidates need to know “where our friends stand.”
In response to another question, Vilsack said he did not time his endorsement in relationship to the speculation about whether Biden will run.
“I was on vacation,” he said. Knowledgeable sources have told The Hagstrom Report that Vilsack vacations on the New Jersey shore where his family went when he was growing up.
Biden said late today that he is not sure he has the “emotional fuel” for the race, CNN reported.
