At a time when the Democratic camp remains abuzz with speculation over a renewed presidential bid by Hillary Clinton in 2016, Vice- President Joe Biden has set tongues wagging with his decision to participate in a signature party event in Iowa that traditionally attracts presidential hopefuls.
The next White House race may well be more than three years away but political pundits and media outlets are reading early hints from Biden’s trip next month for the Iowa event where he will deliver the keynote address. Iowa is where American presidential campaigns start.
“It has been a long-standing commitment after the Vice- President was unable to attend last year,” a spokesperson for Biden told the Des Moines Register when asked about his participation in what is known as Senator Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry fund-raiser.
Harkin’s annual get-together has come to be regarded as a must-stop Democratic presidential hopefuls over the years. Back in 2007, as many as six aspirants shared the stage. They included Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Biden himself, Chris Dodd, John Edwards and Bill Richardson.
Participation in the September 15 event “underscores Biden’s efforts to nurture ties in Iowa, which holds the first presidential nominating contest in the nation”, commented The New York Times, which first reported the Vice- President’s Iowa engagement.
“The trip to Iowa is just the latest in Biden’s moves to place himself in the 2016 discussion,” noted Politico, which also referred to his dinner engagement with South Carolina’s Democratic Party in May and his plans to travel to New Hampshire to raise money for Democrats.
Both New Hampshire and South Carolina are among early-voting States in presidential primaries, after Iowa.
If Biden does throw his hat into the ring, it would be his third bid for the Democratic nomination, the previous unsuccessful ones having been in 1988 and 2008.
About a fortnight ago, there was much speculation over Hillary Clinton’s plans after she had a one-on-one luncheon engagement with President Obama at the White House, followed by a breakfast meeting with Biden the next day.