Top Biden aide lays out potential 2016 platform

Vice President Joe Biden would run an optimistic and unscripted “campaign from the heart” based on restoring middle-class opportunity, one of his top political advisers says, laying out for the first time the argument Biden would make if he runs for president.

Former Delaware Sen. Ted Kaufman, one of Biden’s closest political advisers, says Biden would soon make a decision about whether to enter the race. In an email obtained by The Associated Press, Kaufman asks former staffers to stay in close contact and says Biden would need their help immediately if he enters the race.

“If he runs, he will run because of his burning conviction that we need to fundamentally change the balance in our economy and the political structure to restore the ability of the middle class to get ahead,” Kaufman says.

Calls within the Democratic Party for Biden to run have been growing for months, fueled largely by concerns that front-runner Hillary Clinton’s campaign is faltering under the weight of an email scandal and declining popularity. But Clinton’s commanding performance Tuesday in the first Democratic debate, coupled with Biden’s seemingly endless delays in making a decision, are putting a damper on the speculation in recent days, with top Democratic leaders questioning whether it’s too late for Biden.

Kaufman’s letter to former Biden aides marks an attempt by the vice president to signal he’s still very much considering running and shouldn’t be written off. It also serves to reinforce the notion that Clinton isn’t the only Democrat who could run in part on a promise to lock in policies that Obama has advanced during his two terms.

— AP