Biden’s son opts against seeking Senate seat

WASHINGTON, Tuesday

Democrat Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, said on Monday he will not run for a US Senate seat from Delaware, a move that could increase chances of a Republican taking the seat.

Democrats last week lost their 60-vote majority in the Senate when Republican Scott Brown was elected in Massachusetts last Tuesday, a victory seen in part due to discontent with President Barack Obama’s ambitious agenda.

Republicans hope to make further gains in the Democratic majority in the Senate in November congressional elections, and are looking to the Republican Mike Castle, a popular moderate in the in the US House of Representatives, to pick up the Delaware seat.

Email to supporters

Mr Biden said in an email to supporters that he wanted to stick to his work as Delaware’s attorney general rather than run for the Senate seat long held by Joe Biden before he became Obama’s vice president a year ago.

Meanwhile, President Obama, concerned by voter anxiety over high unemployment, is to use his State of the Union speech on Wednesday to reassure Americans worried about jobs and the economy.

“We’re going to talk about how we can first of all, focus on job creation and growth,” Mr Obama said said in an interview with US television network ABC.

“There are going to be a set of proposals that we put forward that help to stabilise the situation and deal with the growing insecurity.’’ (Reuters)