FORT LAUDERDALE — Attending the swearing in ceremony last week of U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Jupiter), insurance executive Christopher Dunham had face time with Vice President Joseph Biden, who was present for the inauguration of the 113th Congress.
Murphy, 29, is the youngest member of the current Congress. The boundaries of his 18th congressional district—which once included portions of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties—were redefined last year, and now encompass a swath of eastern Florida that stretches from Fort Pierce to Palm Beach.
Dunham, President of Greater Fort Lauderdale-based Dunham Insurance Services, said the few minutes he spent with the vice president made a lasting impression.
“[Biden] was so affable and engaged,” said Dunham. “You really had a sense of his smarts and sincerity, and a genuine interest in what you have to say.”
Of the Veep’s possible plans for 2016, Dunham’s instincts tell him there’s no grass growing under Biden’s feet.
Will he seek one last line on an already-impressive résumé? “How could he not?” Dunham asks rhetorically.
As to the 800-pound gorilla in the room—with apologies, Madame Secretary—Dunham says confidently that outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also has her sights on the big chair.
“It’s safe to say this is what she has waited for her whole political life,” he offers. “She’s all in.”