A new wave of buzz about a Biden run

WASHINGTON - Vice President Biden's associates have resumed discussions about a 2016 presidential run after largely shelving such deliberations while his son was sick and dying this year. But Biden has yet to tell his staff whether he will run or personally ask them to do any planning for a potential campaign, according to several people close to the vice president.

Recent conversations between Biden's associates and Democratic donors and operatives have led to speculation that Biden will challenge front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton for the party's nomination, and individuals close to Biden have started looking into the options that might be available to him if he were to run, such as potential staff in Iowa and the filing deadlines for entering the Democratic field.

But the people close to the vice president say his launching a White House run remains uncertain. Biden is expected to make a final decision as soon as early September, according to those familiar with his plans. The people close to Biden spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deliberations publicly.

The renewed focus on Biden comes amid some signs of weakness for Clinton, including declines in her favorability ratings among voters in recent polling. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is challenging Clinton for the Democratic nomination, has been attracting large crowds with his liberal economic message, evidence of a hunger within the party for an alternative to Clinton's candidacy.

Biden's entry could reshape the dynamics of the Democratic primary, giving the party another option that might appeal to a wide swath of voters. Yet Clinton remains enormously popular among Democrats. She has amassed a large staff of seasoned operatives and raised nearly $50 million for her campaign.

"I've known Joe Biden for many years and I'm very fond of Joe," Sanders said Sunday in an interview on ABC's This Week. "But I think the American people . . . want to go beyond conventional establishment politics."

There are few signs, meanwhile, that Biden is taking solid steps toward launching a campaign. He has had little interaction with a "draft Biden" group, and has yet to look for office space in early voting states or raise money for a potential bid.

Kendra Barkoff, the vice president's press secretary, said Biden was spending his time working on President Obama's agenda, not planning his own potential presidential campaign. "As the Biden family continues to go through this difficult time, the vice president is focused on his family and immersed in his work," she said.

Biden's son Beau died of brain cancer in May. The death prompted an outpouring of support for the vice president, who also lost a daughter and his first wife in a car accident in 1972.

In recent weeks, a bevy of longtime donors, supporters, and former staffers have reached out to the vice president to offer condolences, as well as to say they would be on board if he runs.

The speculation grew even louder last week when Fox News reported that Biden chief of staff Steve Ricchetti had met with Louis Susman, a prominent Democratic donor and former ambassador to Britain. But individuals familiar with the meeting said that the two are longtime friends and that Susman initiated the meeting.