The Boston Herald, “Democratic strategist Larry Rasky bullish on Joe Biden run,” April 1 2019

By Boston Herald Editorial Staff 

Democratic strategist and media relations expert Larry Rasky joined Boston Herald Radio’s “Morning Meeting” program Friday to comment on whether he thinks former Vice President Joe Biden will consider a run for president in 2020.

I wanted to reach out because of course it is getting closer to April and there’s been no direct announcement, or no direct actual indication that Biden would announce potentially if he’s running for president in April. But the idea here is that the quarterly fundraising is over — March 31 — and it would sort of make sense, so I wanted to ask you as sort of somebody who knows Biden — have you talked to him and do you have any sense of whether he’s going to get into the race?

I believe he is going to run, I will say that … well, it’s not 100 percent certain, I don’t think. But my sense is he is strongly leaning in without revealing in any personal conversations. And I do feel like the stars are aligning, it feels to me anyways — like the fact that he waited, let the field play out, it has actually worked to his advantage, until he continues to demonstrate his strength in the polls and in other ways. And I don’t really see any obstacles for getting in the race.

Does Joe Biden have any regrets that he didn’t run in 2016?

Yeah, I would say yes. But I understand circumstances and in that cycle I was right in the middle of conversations much more so than now in terms of pushing him to get into the race. This time I sort of decided, “You know what? I’m going to let him make up his own mind because it didn’t work the last time.” But we were very close to getting into the race and then the financial support climbed up and again, it’s funny to hear everybody talking about how last minute this is for him to decide. Last time we were really trying to make that final decision right before Labor Day — in that August, October range in 2015 — and it was really the wounds from those passing that were really just too deep and the family was not comfortable. And I think the difference right now — obviously as well, those feelings never go away — and you’ve got to know the Bidens as long as I have and all of the tragedies that they dealt with, but it really was the sense would Beau have wanted him to run, and actually the grandchildren met with their pops, and they’re now older — they’re 13 through 24 — and they want him to do it, so he’s got all the family support that’s so important to him in making a bid like this. Because it won’t be easy, anybody’s kidding themselves if they don’t think that this will not be a brutal exercise, particularly running against [Donald] Trump.

Was it frustrating at all that [Barack] Obama decided not to endorse?

Well I don’t know what he’s going to do so I think it would be — I still hope that he endorses, it may not come out of the gate — but I certainly can’t read Obama’s mind, but I think he did put his thumb down on the scale for Hillary [Clinton] last time and so maybe feeling burned by that and doesn’t want to make that similar mistake.

How much support for Biden do you think is here in Massachusetts?

Oh, it’s unbelievable. Actually it’s funny, last week the VP almost came up for St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, and Nick Collins is the state senator from South Boston worked for us in the 2007/2008 primary in New Hampshire. And Congressman [Stephen] Lynch and I’m guessing Mayor [Martin J.] Walsh heavily in the Biden — well, I don’t want to speak for Marty. Well, I think we’ll have a lot of support coming out of Boston, we’ll have a lot of support in the legislature — a number of state senators and reps called me — and we have a lot of financial support in Massachusetts as well … I think they have a lot of warm feelings for Biden and we’ve used it to campaign in New Hampshire from there in the past, and I’ll expect that we’ll have a lot of Massachusetts folks crossing the border to campaign for Biden.

Appreciate your time. It sounds as though you have talked to him. Can you say what the most recent time you chatted was?

No, I won’t say it, otherwise what is the value of confidence if you can’t keep it.

Read the story on the Boston Herald’s website here.