Joe Biden: Speculation About 2016 Bid Reaches Fever Pitch

The VP is still undecided, but some claim he's ready to run

ByABC News
October 19, 2015, 8:23 PM

— -- The speculation about whether Vice President Joe Biden will enter the 2016 race reached a fever pitch Monday as supporters, reporters and political prognosticators weighed in on his intentions.

One Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania set off a frenzy when he tweeted he knew the vice president would jump into the 2016 race.

Snapchat even got in on the Biden speculation game, creating this filter for users in the D.C. area.

And then there were the nuggets of information about Biden's supposed operational plans should he enter the race. ABC News has learned a longtime associate of Biden's inquired about renting available office space in downtown Washington for a possible presidential campaign.

But that associate acknowledged to ABC News that he was asking about office space on his own, without guidance or permission from the vice president or his current political team.

The associate, who requested anonymity, is among those who think Biden is likely to run, but not based on a direct signal from Biden himself. People who have spoken to Biden and those close to him in recent days have emerged with a general consensus that he’s moving toward a run, but that he still has not made up his mind to declare his candidacy.

Biden's supporters have acknowledged the odds would be stacked against him -- starting so late with no money, no campaign organization and way behind in the polls.

While he weighs his options, the vice president may have been testing out campaign messages about his potential Democratic opponents -– Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

“I’m not one of these guys – you know, ‘Let’s go after the rich and the powerful and they’re the problem. They’re not a problem. But everyone has to do their part, man!” he said in a speech at the White House, a subtle reference to Sanders.

“I don’t consider Republicans enemies. They’re friends,” the vice president said in the same speech, just one week after Clinton cited “the Republicans” as the enemy she’s most proud of.

The two jabs may have been further clues about how serious Biden is about enter the 2016 race, but the bottom line is the only person who really knows when he's deciding is the man whose decision it is to make -- Biden.