Speculation that Vice President Joe Biden may jump into the 2016 presidential race is heating up.

The rumors all started when New York Times writer Maureen Dowd published a column over the weekend and said Biden is "talking to friends, family and donors about jumping in." Dowd also said Biden's late son, Beau, pleaded with his father to run before he died from brain cancer in May. Since then, "the 72-year-old vice president has been having meetings at his Washington residence to explore the idea of taking on Hillary in Iowa and New Hampshire," Dowd wrote.

Furthermore, an insider from the Biden camp reportedly told the Boston Herald Biden is leaning strongly toward making a 2016 bid.

Biden will "more likely than not jump into the race," said the anonymous Biden adviser.

Many Democrats have embraced the news about Biden's potential run as Clinton suffers from a dip in the polls. He also continues to undergo scrutiny over of her use of a private email server and her handling of the 2012 Benghazi attack during her tenure as secretary of state.

"What is happening with the emails and all the other issues around Hillary's campaign has not been helpful to her," former Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman Phil Johnston said. "If anyone is in the position to beat her for the nomination, I would say it's Joe."

Likewise, Democratic strategist Scott Ferson said, "I'd love to see Biden run. He is authentic and people are looking for that. I think people want Hillary Clinton to be more authentic."

If Biden did chose to run, he would face several obstacles, including attacks from Republicans over his close ties to the Obama administration, along with the disadvantage of starting a late campaign. However, he would not have to start from scratch since he is already the beneficiary of a draft movement.

"We have staff on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire, and we are bringing more people on in South Carolina," said Will Pierce of Draft Biden 2016, who expects Biden to make a decision by September.