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> http://www.wsj.com/articles/democratic-presidential-candidates-scramble-to-lure-joe-bidens-supporters-1446384989 <http://www.wsj.com/articles/democratic-presidential-candidates-scramble-to-lure-joe-bidens-supporters-1446384989>
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> Democratic Presidential Candidates Scramble to Lure Joe Biden’s Supporters
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> ENLARGE
> U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has skipped the 2016 elections, but he remains a force in the race for the Democratic nomination for presidents, as the three leading candidates vie for his backers and his campaign resources. Photo: Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
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> By
> Colleen McCain Nelson And
> Peter Nicholas
> Updated Nov. 1, 2015 8:42 a.m. ET
> WASHINGTON—Vice President Joe Biden <http://topics.wsj.com/person/B/Joe-Biden/6352> had barely uttered the words “I will not be a candidate,” when the major Democratic presidential campaigns began scrambling to lure his network of supporters who abruptly found themselves without a favorite in the 2016 race.
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> Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley began emailing pro-Biden donors, giving them his personal cell number.Hillary Clinton <http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/Hillary-Clinton/6344>’s campaign representatives started sketching out possible roles Biden fundraisers might play in her operation. And the Bernie Sanders campaign raced to recruit former advisers from a Draft Biden super PAC that had been trying for months to prod the vice president into the race.
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> While some Biden loyalists have already signed on with a new candidate, many say they are still glum about the vice president’s decision and aren’t ready to commit to anyone else. Some are giving thought to forming loose-knit coalitions to maximize their leverage with different campaigns that have come courting. Many of them face a Bidenesque gut check: Will they be able to commit heart and soul to their new candidate?
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> Jon Cooper, who was finance chairman for the Draft Biden effort, said he heard from representatives of Mrs. Clinton and Messrs. O’Malley and Sanders within a day of Mr. Biden’s Rose Garden announcement that he wouldn’t make a third try for the presidency. A Clinton campaign representative floated the idea of Mr. Cooper playing a role in her team reaching out to the gay community or possibly working in her finance operation, he said.
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> “It would be nice if I felt passionate about a candidate, and right now I’m not feeling the passion,” said Mr. Cooper, who also raised money for President Barack Obama <http://topics.wsj.com/person/O/Barack-Obama/4328>. “There’s a lot I like about Bernie Sanders, a lot I like about Hillary Clinton. Whether I get excited enough about any of the campaigns to devote time and energy during the primary is the question. And right now it’s not happening.”
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> Many Biden supporters said they would back the eventual Democratic nominee, but for now, the question is whether they will commit to another candidate in the primary.
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> ENLARGE
> Front-runners for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders have sought to bring supporters of Vice President Joe Biden into their respective campaigns. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News
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> Apart from experienced campaign hands, the pro-Biden coalition assembled campaign data that are a valuable commodity. They built voter lists and a collection of 250,000 email addresses that other campaigns would like to add to their arsenal. What happens to those lists is up to the vice president, said Will Pierce, executive director of Draft Biden. The lists could go to another campaign if Mr. Biden endorses a candidate, or they could be given to a foundation or PAC of the vice president’s choosing.
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> “We just want the list to go wherever he wants it to go, instead of where we want it to go,” Mr. Pierce said.
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> As for Mr. Pierce, he said he has gotten overtures from all three of the major Democratic candidates. They are asking to tap into his super PAC’s resources and perhaps even hire its staff. After meeting with Sanders, Clinton and O’Malley representatives, Mr. Pierce said he and several Draft Biden staffers are likely to go to work for the same campaign, though he wouldn’t say yet which one.
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> Bill Bartmann, founder and chief executive of CFS2 Inc., had planned to donate to and raise money for a Biden presidential campaign. Now, he jokes that he’s working through the seven stages of grief as he contemplates where to throw his support in 2016.
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> ‘It would be nice if I felt passionate about a candidate, and right now I’m not feeling the passion.’
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> —Jon Cooper, who was finance chairman for the Draft Biden effort
> Mr. Bartmann said receiving a personal email that included Mr. O’Malley’s cellphone number was impressive, but he hasn’t felt compelled to call the former Maryland governor yet. The Clinton operation also has reached out repeatedly, but Mr. Bartmann hasn't heard from the Sanders campaign. “The absence was noted,” he said.
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> Mr. Bartmann said a number of Biden donors have been discussing their next move, sharing thoughts about the candidates and considering the possibility of banding together to back another Democrat. “We could have some leverage as a group,” he said. The arrangement may not be formal, but together, “we could have some clout.”
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> Mr. O’Malley appears to be the most aggressive in seeking Biden’s backers, making personal appeals for support. Securing money and manpower from the Biden network could provide a significant boost for Mr. O’Malley, who is running a distant third in pre-primary polls among the three candidates in the Democratic nomination race.
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> Howie Mandel, a Los Angeles-based physician and Democratic donor who was on the Draft Biden finance team, said he spoke to the former Maryland governor recently and is prepared to help him win. “I think he could be elected and be a good leader,” Mr. Mandel said.
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> Mr. Mandel believes Democrats need to take seriously polls that show many voters don’t see Mrs. Clinton as honest and trustworthy. He said he has told Mr. O’Malley that the former secretary of state is the race’s “Goliath,” and he needs to be more aggressive in challenging her.
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> An O’Malley spokeswoman, Lis Smith, said: “Every day, Gov. O’Malley reaches out to people to broaden his base of support. It is only natural that he would talk to the folks who supported the Draft Biden efforts as a part of this process. Clearly, they believed that we need an alternative to the current front-runners.”
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> The Clinton campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment. A Sanders aide confirmed the Vermont senator’s campaign has reached out to Biden staff.
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> ENLARGE
> Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley shown speaking in Boulder, Colo., on Oct. 28. The former Maryland governor has been aggressively trying to recruit supporters of Vice President Joe Biden for his campaign. Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
> For some of the Biden supporters, it is too early to join forces with another campaign after months spent pining, ultimately in vain, for Mr. Biden to enter the race.
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> Lisa Heddens, a Democratic state representative in Iowa, said that when Mr. Biden bypassed the presidential race, all three Democratic candidates quickly made contact. She’s still considering her options. “I had my candidate; I’m just not ready,” she said.
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> The Sanders and O’Malley campaigns have offered one-on-one conversations with the candidates to help Ms. Heddens make up her mind. She said she is gathering more information before making a decision.
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> Still, “it’s nice to be wanted,” Ms. Heddens said.
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> Write to Colleen McCain Nelson at colleen.nelson@wsj.com <mailto:colleen.nelson@wsj.com> and Peter Nicholas at peter.nicholas@wsj.com <mailto:peter.nicholas@wsj.com>


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