Joe Biden Not Running For President

Vice president Joe Biden is not running for President in 2016.

He opted out in a speech at the White House on Wednesday in the Rose Garden.

Biden’s decision against running opens a huge pathway for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to secure the nomination.

“As my family and I have worked through the grieving process, I’ve said all along what I’ve said time and again to others, that it may very well be that the process by the time we get through it closes the window … I’ve concluded it has closed,” Biden said.

“While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent,” Biden said in the Rose Garden.

CBS News broke the story right before the announcement:

The vice president took his time to consider whether he and his family had the ‘emotional energy’ to endure another campaign, following the tragic death over the summer of his 46-year-old son Beau. While his fellow Democrats gave him his space, pressure mounted for Biden to come to a decision as Democratic voters, party operatives and deep-pocketed donors considered which candidate to line up behind.