Joe Biden ready to run for president: lawmaker

Expectations that Vice President Joseph R. Biden will soon enter the Democratic race for president are mounting in Washington, with sources spreading the word that the announcement is imminent.

Rep. Brendan Boyle, Pennsylvania Democrat, let the cat out of the bag Monday on Twitter. “I have a very good source close to Joe that tells me VP Biden will run for Prez,” tweeted the first-term congressman.

Washington insiders have been discounting Mr. Biden’s chances of success with a late entrance in the race after front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton’s powerful performance last week in the first Democratic presidential debate.

But Mr. Biden has continued to inch toward a run, meeting with top union officials and contacting major Democratic donors.

Mr. Biden’s poll numbers waned in surveys taken immediately after the debate, in which he did not participate. Nevertheless, his candidacy would shake up the race and test the party establishment’s allegiance to Mrs. Clinton.

President Obama again ducked questions about Mr. Biden’s possible candidacy on Friday during a press conference at the White House.

“I’m not going to comment on what Joe is doing or not doing,” he said. “I think you can direct those questions to my very able vice president.”

Mr. Obama did say that the other five Democratic presidential candidates who participated in last week’s debate “are all some very fine people.”

“We very much share a vision of an economy that works for everybody and effective pursuit of America’s national security through all the tools that are available to us,” he said. “And I was very impressed with all of them, and I know them personally. And they’re good people.”

An hour before he posted his comment, Mr. Boyle also wrote on Twitter: “For people who think it’s too late for Biden to run, worth remembering Bill Clinton entered the 92 race in October.”

A spokeswoman for Rep. Bob Brady, Pennsylvania Democrat and longtime Democratic Party chairman in Philadelphia, said the lawmaker had no comment on Mr. Boyle’s claim.

• Tom Howell Jr. contributed to this article.