Joe Biden, the 47th vice president of the United States, declared on Wednesday Oct. 21, that he would, in fact, not run for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidency. His son’s death and the grieving process is the primary reason for Biden’s decision. Biden’s son Bo, who died on May 30, was Biden’s inspiration for his potential campaign. 

He believes that he does not currently have the time to run a successful campaign. 

He does, however, plan to continue being a very strong and important voice in American politics. 

Biden wishes to continue to support and influence his party and this nation with his voice as vice president. 

However, Biden went on to address several other topics aside from the presidency in his speech on Wednesday. 

He spoke of how President Obama has done an excellent job as  president, especially during the financial crisis and leading us back into a recovery and resurgence. 

He also believes that the nation will make a massive mistake if they try to undo what has been accomplished under his administration. 

Biden especially believes in giving the middle class a fighting chance. 

In his speech, Biden said, “We cannot sustain the current levels of inequality that exist in this country.” 

There are currently three Democrats still seeking the Democratic nomination for president of the United States and fifteen Republicans seeking the Republican nomination. The major front-runners for the Democrats are Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. 

Clinton currently leads by 49 percent in the polls and Sanders is quite a distance away with 25 percent in the polls. 

The front-runners for the Republicans are Donald Trump and Ben Carson. Trump leads with 30 percent in the polls and Carson is slightly behind with 21 percent in the polls. 

In my opinion, Biden’s decision to not run a campaign for a presidential nomination with the Democratic Party is a personal decision in which he came to conclude after much personal deliberation and conversation with his family. 

I also believe that Biden’s decision to not run was a smart political choice. Biden is aware that he is considered weak amongst other politicians and journalists; he even mentioned this in his speech on Wednesday. 

There are also far too many candidates in the running for the nomination for each party. and some of these candidates bring stigmas to the office of the presidency due to their reputations. 

I wish the best for the Biden family during this difficult time.