The super PAC working to draft Joe Biden into the 2016 presidential race will not air the emotional 90-second ad they produced this week after the vice president expressed disapproval through an aide.
“The vice president appreciates that they are trying to help,” an unnamed person close to Biden told the Los Angeles Times Thursday evening. “But he has seen the ad and thinks the ad treads on sacred ground and hopes they don’t run it.”
RELATED: Draft Biden releases emotional TV ad: ‘Run, Joe’
The ad from the Draft Biden super PAC featured black-and-white images of Biden’s family over audio of a commencement speech Biden gave where he discussed overcoming personal tragedy. It references two tragedies that have bookended Biden’s political career — the death of his wife and daughter in a car accident in 1972 and the death of his eldest son Beau this summer.
The ad was met with mixed reactions after it was unveiled Wednesday. Many observatories found it powerful and compelling, but others found it crass. Former Obama aide David Axelrod called it “tasteless” and “exploitative.” Following the Los Angeles Times report, Draft Biden adviser Josh Alcorn said in a statement: “Nobody has more respect for the Vice President and his family than we do. Obviously we will honor his wishes.” A spokesperson confirmed that meant the super PAC will not run the ad. They had not announced when it would run.
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