In hypothetical match-ups against Republicans in the general election, Vice President Joe Biden has seen a bump in poll numbers, which to many Biden friends and advisers suggests the time has come for a likely presidential bid,
The Hill reports.
"This is the time Joe fits," said Lowell Junkins, the 1986 Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Iowa who has been a longtime Biden backer.
As Hillary Clinton's email controversy looms and her poll numbers dip, Biden supporters note that this presents a big opening for the vice president. And, in an obvious dig at Hillary Clinton, Biden confidants say the mood of the American electorate is for "authentic" and "genuine" candidates.
According to The Hill, Biden knows his way around Washington, D.C., having served 36 years in the Senate and another seven in the White House — something that differentiates him from other "outsider" candidates.
"Joe is fast on his feet and quick with the comebacks," said Samuel Lathem, president of the Delaware AFL-CIO. "In the labor movement, we call him grandfather. He is a great listener, protective and can also be stern."
Although Biden has been mourning his son, Beau Biden, and has held off on a presidential campaign, The Hill reports that his Catholic faith will help him heal.
And, The Hill notes that in a presidential primary debate in 2007, Biden described how he has dealt with tragedy in his life: "My mom has an expression. She says that 'God sends no cross you're unable to bear' ... All the prayer in the world will not stop a hurricane. But prayer will give you the courage to be able to respond to the devastation."
Beau Biden's passing may give Biden the courage to run for president again, but in doing so, he would be an underdog to Hillary Clinton and, The Hill writes, the media loves an underdog.
"The political press is like piranhas that entice you in the water," Junkins said.
Should Biden get into the race, many believe that the debates will be more civil than the Republican face-off's. However, many note that both Clinton and Biden have longed for the presidency and consider politics a blood sport.
Mary Carey Foley, a Portsmouth, N.H., native who has known Biden for nearly 30 years added, "I imagine it will get nasty."
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