Joe Biden may be considering another presidential run, but top Democratic campaign strategist David Axelrod says he would advise the vice president against challenging Hillary Clinton for the party's nomination.
"I would not, because I know what it takes to put a presidential campaign together and it is late in the game," Axelrod said Monday on TODAY. "Secretary Clinton, for all her problems, some of them self-inflicted, still has a very high rating among Democrats, and that of course is what determines who the nominee will be, and a big head start."
Speculation surfaced over the weekend about another White House run for Biden, who has not confirmed whether he will join the former secretary of state in the Democratic race. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd recently wrote that Biden could be eying a third run for the White House following the death of his son, Beau Biden, who before he died reportedly made his father promise to make another attempt.
Axelrod, a former senior advisor to President Obama and one of his 2008 campaign advisers, said he has spoken with Biden about how hard the loss of his son has hit him.
"The emotion is powerful but it’s not enough to make a decision to run for president," he said.
The challenges for Biden to enter the race would be considerable. Hillary Clinton has raised more than $45 million already, while Biden struggled to raise funds in 2008, when he ran for president but didn't win a single state.
"I really have such a huge regard for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president, a great public official," Axelrod said. "I’d hate to see him risk it all on a campaign that likely wouldn’t succeed."
A run also could complicate loyalties for some of Biden's top staffers, who already have donated to Clinton's campaign, or even left to work for her.