Joe Biden To Skip First Democratic Debate

Vice President Joe Biden has put off making his decision about jumping into the 2016 presidential race and will not take part in next week’s first Democratic debate.  CNN reports:

He is not preparing for the first Democratic debate on October 13 in Las Vegas and is not expected to participate, people close to him say, because he feels no pressure to reach a decision by then. He is likely to reveal his plans in the second half of October. For more than two months, Biden has been studying the mechanics of what it would take to launch a candidacy. He and his team have been inundated by mounds of research and battle plans, but his original end-of-summer deadline passed without him reaching a conclusion. Campaign managers in key early-voting states have already been identified. Dozens of major donors have stepped forward. Domestic and foreign policy advisers are waiting in the wings. The speculation about Biden’s future has reached a fever pitch, fueled by Democrats searching for an alternative to Hillary Clinton or a backup plan in case her candidacy falters. But with every passing week, many Democrats close to Biden are hardening in their beliefs that he will ultimately decide against challenging Clinton and the rest of the party’s field.

Confirmed to participate in the debate are Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley, and Chafee. Invited but unconfirmed is former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb.