Feinstein meets with Biden, believes he will run for president

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 2/14/2019, 2:33 p.m.
Former Vice President Joe Biden privately met with Sen. Dianne Feinstein Thursday morning as he weighs a run for the …
Former Vice President Joe Biden

By Manu Raju, CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent

(CNN) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden privately met with Sen. Dianne Feinstein Thursday morning as he weighs a run for the 2020 Democratic nomination -- and the California senator believes Biden plans to mount a bid for the presidency.

"Oh, yes," Feinstein, a Democrat in her sixth term, told CNN Thursday when asked if she thinks he'll run in 2020.

But Feinstein said it was only her impression that he would run and that Biden did not tell her one way or another about his intentions.

"No, he did not," she said when asked if Biden said explicitly he would run while they met at his Washington office.

Whether the 76-year-old Biden does in fact mount a bid is one of the biggest questions of the young presidential campaign -- and his candidacy undoubtedly would reshape the race for the Democratic nomination. Behind the scenes, Biden is having numerous private conversations with his close allies and confidantes, including Feinstein, who has previously announced support for a potential Biden run -- even as a fellow California senator, Kamala Harris, is seeking the nomination herself.

"He made me the first woman on the Judiciary Committee 26 years ago, and I've never forgotten it," Feinstein said in the Capitol, referring to the former Delaware senator's tenure atop the panel. "I've known him, I've worked with him and it's just a logical step for me."

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