Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Matthew Continetti went on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom Tuesday afternoon to discuss the effects Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign might have on the Democratic primary.
Speaking with Jon Scott and the Boston Globe’s Shira Center, Continetti encouraged the Biden camp to announce before the first Democratic debate in Las Vegas on Oct. 16.
"I think the real deadline for Biden is exactly as you say—in a couple of weeks, that first presidential debate," Continetti said. "That’d be great to come off of a successful announcement that he’s entering the race, be next to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and say, ‘Look, I’m the guy to preserve Obama's legacy because I worked side by side with him for now seven years.’ I think that is an attractive argument to Democrats."
Biden has repeatedly said he is still deciding whether he and his family will be able to handle a presidential campaign so soon after losing his son Beau Biden to brain cancer.
The Clinton campaign has reportedly attempted to discourage Biden from running both subtly and bluntly by boasting over locked-up super-delegates, a series of high-profile endorsements, and announcing a slate of fundraisers. Biden supporters have complained that Clinton is already running against him and are trying to ensure there is no space for his entrance to the primary contest.
"There is a lot of rumors in Washington, a lot of reports coming out that the Clinton camp is annoyed at the prospect of Joe Biden running. They are trying to dissuade him from entering the race. If you are Joe Biden, this is good politically because it is an acknowledgment from the Clinton camp that if you enter the race, you are going to be a disrupter, you are going to shake things up," Continetti said. "And I think it is also a sign of weakness from the Clinton side, too. If they are that afraid of the position that they hold now to run the campaign against Biden, imagine what happens if he enters the race and Hillary Clinton actually has to counter attacks on the debate stage from the sitting Vice President of the United States."