DES MOINES - Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will be the keynote speaker at Senator Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry fund-raiser next month, a signature event on the Iowa political calendar that often showcases aspiring presidents as featured speakers.
Mr. Biden, who has not ruled out a third presidential bid in 2016, will “bat cleanup†at Mr. Harkin’s high-profile Democratic picnic after a speech from Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio, according to a person familiar with the plans. Mr. Biden’s attendance is a sign, Democratic officials here say, that he wants Iowa caucus-goers to know he is very much considering another White House race. A press representative for Mr. Biden did not reply to requests for comment.
The gathering, to be held on Sept. 15 at a county fairgrounds south of Des Moines, will mark Mr. Biden’s first trip to Iowa this year and underscores his effort to nurture ties to the states that begin the presidential nominating process. Mr. Biden spoke at a South Carolina Democratic dinner in May and later this month will raise money for Gov. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.
Mr. Biden has many longtime friends in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, including his former colleague Mr. Harkin, dating back to his first presidential run in 1988. Earlier this year, the vice president attended the Iowa ball in Washington during the inauguration festivities and on the same weekend invited a bevy of Democratic officials and activists from this state to his residence for a reception.
His decision to speak at Mr. Harkin’s 36th annual steak fry, presumably the second-to-last for the retiring senator, comes amid much anticipation about former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s plans. Mrs. Clinton has not held any Iowa events this year, but a well-attended forum convened here on Friday by the Democratic women’s group Emily’s List illustrated the hope among some party activists in Iowa that she will both run for president again and not let her third-place finish in the state’s caucuses in 2008 dissuade her from beginning her bid in Iowa. With Mrs. Clinton still considering a run, there have been far fewer visits here from potential Democratic presidential candidates than on the Republican side.
Mr. Harkin’s annual fall get-together in Indianola has long been a proving ground for would-be presidents. Mr. Biden last attended the gathering in 2007, during his ill-fated run for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Perhaps most famously, it was the venue in 2006 for the Iowa debut of Barack Obama, then a freshman in the Senate. Mr. Obama overshadowed the other speakers at the event and was swarmed by Iowa Democrats after his speech. Less than two years later, his decisive victory at the Iowa caucuses propelled him on his path to the White House.
