Hillary Clinton Wants Joe Biden to Do ‘What’s Right for Him’

Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that Joe Biden should have “space” to make his own decision about running for president, telling reporters she has “a great deal of admiration and respect” for her one-time colleague and potential adversary for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“Vice President Biden is a friend of mine. He and I were colleagues in the Senate, I worked with him as first lady, I worked with him in President Obama’s first term, and I have a great deal of admiration and respect for him,” Clinton said Wednesday in Ankeny, Iowa. “I think he has to make what is a very difficult decision for himself and his family, and he should have the space and opportunity to decide what he wants to do.”

Biden has been openly considering running for president for weeks, reaching out to donors and supporters and thinking ahead to a run. He’s spoken with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a key leader of the progressive wing of the Democratic party, and President Barack Obama’s former counsel Bob Bauer.

His son, Beau, who died earlier this year of brain cancer urged him for years to run for president, but Biden would face a tough frontrunner in Hillary Clinton, as well as the disadvantage of jumping into a presidential contest late and without an experienced staff or organization.