Article snippet: NEW YORK — Stepping further toward a 2020 presidential run than he ever has before, former Vice President Joe Biden declared Tuesday that his family — including his grandchildren — are encouraging him to launch a White House bid. ‘‘There’s a consensus,’’ Biden told an excited crowd during an appearance at the University of Delaware. ‘‘The most important people in my life want me to run.’’ He did not explicitly say he was running. In fact, the 76-year-old lifelong politician conceded he may not be popular enough to win over the Democratic Party of 2020. Yet roughly 10 months before the first primary votes are cast, Biden sent an unmistakable message to prospective rivals and voters alike that the already-crowded Democratic field is far from set. Should he run, he would instantly become a front-runner, the best-known option for primary voters and perhaps the best-respected by elected officials and donors, who in many cases have a decadeslong relationship with the longtime Democratic leader. Biden’s potential rivals had little to say publicly about his latest comments on potentially joining the field, but in private, their camps conceded that he would be a political force who could scramble the evolving field. Biden could erode Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ popularity with working-class voters in the Midwest, California Sen. Kamala Harris’ standing with African-American voters in South Carolina and New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s claim to the political cente... Link to the full article to read more
Joe Biden says his family wants him to run for president - The Boston Globe
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