Biden hires new communications chief while mulling White House run

Washington, Aug 24 (EFE).- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has hired a new communications director as he considers running for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

Kate Bedingfield, the campaign spokesperson for Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards in 2008, will begin her duties on Monday and “will be a key adviser to me, a terrific asset to our office, and an important member of the entire White House organization,” said Biden in a statement announcing the appointment.

“Kate is a talented individual who brings a range of communications experience to the team,” Biden added.

The post had been occupied up until last March by Shailagh Murray, who is now working for President Barack Obama, and Bedingfield has handled tasks linked with communications and the media at the White House up until late 2011, when she moved into the private sector.

The announcement of hiring Bedingfield comes as Biden is studying possibly mounting a challenge to former Secretary of State – and current Democratic presidential front-runner – Hillary Clinton for the party’s nomination, after he ran for president without success in 1988 and 2008.

Biden, 72, for some time has been considering the possibility of entering the Democratic race for the presidential nomination and has always said that he would announce his decision to run, or not to run, before the end of the summer.

On Saturday, Biden ended his vacation in Delaware to return to Washington to meet with Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of the most influential voices within the party’s more progressive wing.

No significant news has emerged from that private meeting between Biden and Warren, but the majority of experts agree that it was a clear sign that the vice president is very seriously considering a presidential run.

The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday that Biden is apparently more and more inclined to enter the race, citing sources familiar with the matter.

“The vice president has not made a decision about his political future,” Biden spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff told the daily. “Anyone speculating that he has made a decision is wrong.”

Now that he has returned from vacation, Biden on Monday will eat lunch privately with Obama at the White House and on Monday afternoon will participate in several meetings, the presidential residence said.

While everyone waits to learn his decision about running, even though he is not yet a candidate the latest voter surveys put Biden in third place among the declared and prospective Democratic presidential hopefuls, behind Clinton, who has lost support due to the controversy over her use of a private email account to do public business while she was secretary of state, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Another Democratic presidential candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, on Sunday told ABC news that he has “great respect’ for Biden, adding that it would be a good thing to have him in the race. EFE

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Category: Daily Witness, National