Vice-President Joe Biden will make a decision on whether to enter the 2016 Presidential race by early 2017, a close associate told supporters on Friday. In an e-mail sent to potential donors, the former Senator Ted Kaufman, a longtime friend and confidant of the Vice-President, wrote that Joe is still trying to sort things out, but promised that his decision will come no later than January, 2017. Joe is trying to decide whether running for President is a good idea, or, conversely, whether it is a bad idea, Kaufman wrote. He is very grateful to all of you for your patience as he works through this process, and he promises that hell have big news for you by next January. My message to you today is, hang in there, he wrote. Kaufman acknowledged that deciding to run for President a full two months after the election would complicate Joes path to the White House, but promised, If, in January, Joe decides hes in, he will be all in. And we hope youll be with him. Watch: The comedian Marc Maron talks about what it was like to have President Obama on his podcast. 