How Joe Biden Surprised Delaware Democrats Ahead of 2016 Decision
— -- Home in Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend, Vice President Joe Biden made an unannounced stop by the Sussex Democratic Jamboree in Lewes, spending time with his most loyal supporters as he contemplates a presidential bid.
The vice president "wanted to thank the community for all their support the last few months," a Biden aide said of the visit to the event, an annual fundraiser for the local Democratic Party.
"It was a very unexpected surprise," said Chad Lingerfelder, the vice chair of the Sussex County Democrats who has known the vice president for 20 years through Biden's friendship with his grandfather. "He's not a politician, he's a friend."
Biden spent 10 minutes standing on a table with a microphone in hand, thanking the loyal crowd for backing him "emotionally and politically through the highs and lows," Lingerfelder said, adding that the vice president did not discuss a 2016 bid in his remarks and or take questions from reporters.
While Delaware Democrats hope to see Biden mount a bid for president above all else, they want him to make the right decision for himself, Lingerfelder said.
"We understand that whatever decision he makes has to be for his family first and our country second," he said.
Biden's visit to the Jamboree was first reported by NBC News.
