The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate said Tuesday that Vice President Joe Biden should “take a hard look” at running for the White House.
Speculation has intensified in recent days as Biden’s aides reportedly began taking more steps toward challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Much of the Democratic establishment has already endorsed Clinton, but Dick Durbin, the Senate Minority Whip, sounded encouraging when commenting on a potential Biden run.
“I can tell you this: I have great respect for Joe Biden — a former colleague in the Senate (who) served us a vice president. He’s an extraordinary person and I count him as a dear friend,” Durbin said. “He owes it to himself and his family to take a hard look at this.”
Durbin said it would be “too soon” to say whether he would support Biden if he decided to run. Durbin headlined a June 2014 fundraiser for a super PAC encouraging Clinton to enter the race in May, according to the Washington Post. But he has also said that it was a “little early to be making endorsements.”
