Joe Biden is reportedly considering challenging Hillary Clinton

By Maxwell Tani

Vice President Joe Biden has been holding meetings at his Washington home to discuss challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
According to Times columnist Maureen Dowd: "Biden is also talking to friends, family and donors about jumping in. The 72-year-old vice president has been having meetings at his Washington residence to explore the idea of taking on Hillary in Iowa and New Hampshire."

Biden's late son Beau Biden, a former attorney general of Delaware who died in May, reportedly pushed his father to run.

According to Dowd, when Beau Biden realized that he was dying of brain cancer, he attempted to get his father to promise he would run.

The vice president's younger son, Hunter, also encouraged him to seek the presidency, the Times said.

Biden has been mulling a run for months, and has said publicly he would make a decision at the end of the summer. But on Friday, CNN reported that the Vice President is likely to wait past August to decide whether or not he will jump into the race.

Despite having a higher favorability than Clinton and every Republican candidate in the race, Biden faces significant challenges if he does decide to jump in.

Clinton has already raised millions, established an official campaign infrastructure in several states, and garnered endorsements from dozens of prominent state and federal lawmakers. Though CNN reports that some Biden loyalists have held out to see if the Vice President will enter the race, others have already declared their support for the former Secretary of State.

Biden has been slowly returning to a normal schedule following the death of his son two months ago. His public appearances have taken on a somewhat reflective tone - at an event earlier this month in New York City celebrating the Supreme Court's gay marriage decision, Biden reflected on his long career as a progressive advocate in the Senate, and spoke about how his relationship with his father helped shape his views on same-sex marriage.

Dowd, who has often been critical of Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, said a campaign might be complicated for Biden because he has a good relationship with Hillary Clinton and respects the Democratic Party's desire to put a woman in the White House.

Biden sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008.

The White House had no immediate comment on Biden's plans.