If Biden wants to run, there's a Democratic debate podium waiting

 By 
Megan Specia
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Will he or won't he?

A day ahead of the first Democratic presidential debate, set to be held in Las Vegas on Tuesay night, America was left wondering whether Vice President Joe Biden would throw his hat into the ring for the 2016 election.

CNN, which is hosting the debate, has said that if Biden should decide to enter the race at the last minute, they would invite him to take part in the debate. The network even has a sixth podium on standby for that very scenario.

Journalist Jim Acosta, reporting from the debate location on Monday morning, snapped photos of Biden's potential place in the debate lineup. Biden insiders, however, have said the veep was not planning to take part.

In case of Biden break out podium number 6. Here it is folks. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/27B7ij3IEO— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 12, 2015

Plenty of room for @VP to join in. https://t.co/m91qpyUt3M— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 11, 2015

If Biden does jump into the race, he will be up against five other candidates already slated to take part in the Democratic debate. Frontrunner Hillary Clinton will be joined by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chaffee and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb.

According to CNN's latest poll of Nevada voters, Clinton has the support of 50% of Democrats planning to cote in the primaries, followed by Sanders at 34%. Biden has 12% of the support of potential primary voters, with the other contenders all garnering less than 1%.

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