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MONDAY AFTERNOON AND TO SPEAK TO A GATHERING HERE AT IT THIS UNION HALL IN LAWRENCEVILLE. THE LATEST WORD: FORMER VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL JUMP IN THE RACE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION IN A VIDEO RELEASE THURSDAY. WE’VE LEARNED ON MONDAY HE’LL THEN RALLY PITTSBURGHERS HERE IN THE TEAMSTERS TEMPLE UNION HALL ON BUTLER STREET. MAYOR PEDUTO AND COUNTY EXECUTIVE FITZGERALD HAVE NOT BEEN CLUED INTO BIDEN’S PLANS. >> STAY TUNED IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE THE KEY TO WHO WINS THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2020. >> I THINK THERE’S A GREAT FIELD OF CANDIDATES THAT GIVES A LOT OF GREAT CHOICES TO DEMOCRATS AS WE GO INTO NEXT YEAR. >> DESPITE BIDEN’S FREQUENT PITTSBURGH VISITS, NEITHER IS ENDORSING YET. >> I’M INVITING ALL OF THE CANDIDATES, NOT JUST JOE BIDEN, JOE WILL BE A STRONG CANDIDATE BUT ALL OF THEM KEEP ADDING UP EVERY DAY. >> WITHOUT TAKING SIDES, PEDUTO SAID HE KNOWS PETE BUTTIGIEG FROM THE US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS AND CONSIDERS HIM A FRIEND. >> I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE AND I STAND BY THIS STATEMENT, HE IS THE SMARTEST MAYOR IN THE STATES. HE IS A GENIUS AND A REALLY NICE GUY. >> FOR NOW, SOURCES SAY THE PLAN WOULD BE FOR JOE BIDEN TO BE HERE IN THE UNION HALL IN

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Former Vice President Joe Biden will be coming to Pittsburgh Monday afternoon for his first campaign event, sources told CNN.Biden is expected to announce his presidential campaign on Thursday with an online video. Two sources confirmed the visit to Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Bob Mayo earlier in the day. Biden also is making plans to hit the road to the early voting states of Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire in the coming days, a person familiar with his campaign planning told CNN.Previous reports said Biden was planning to hold a rally Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh after first declaring his candidacy for president in Charlottesville, Virginia.Those reports were not confirmed by local elected officials, Democratic Party leaders, labor leaders or political consultants. Tap the video player above to watch the full report by @BMayo_WTAE.Inquiries to a Biden spokesman with the organization American Possibilities have, so far, gone unanswered. The reports also said Biden would rally supporters in Philadelphia after appearing in Pittsburgh.If the reports hold true, Biden's visiting Pittsburgh would be true to past form. He has returned to the city again and again over the years, including the many times he participated in the Labor Day Parade.Kristen Coopie, a political analyst and Duquesne University political science professor, says Biden would bring strong name recognition and goodwill with him to a race crowded with Democratic primary presidential contenders."He's been out of office for a little bit, but he still has maintained a fan base, if you will, in the party," Coopie told Pittsburgh's Action News 4. "He likes the working-class feel of this city. He stumps for a lot of the Democratic candidates in the area. So it kind of makes sense, trying to build up his working-class base that he needs to get monetary support from."Biden campaigned here for 17th District U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb last year and has long been popular with local labor leaders."I couldn't be happier to be on stage today with a leader that everybody likes. Everybody likes him," Lamb said during a 2018 campaign appearance with Biden."Joe Biden is Pittsburgh. He speaks about everything we are. We're so proud to have him here," said Darrin Kelly, of the Allegheny/Fayette Central Labor Council, following Biden's participation in the 2018 Labor Day Parade."We'll follow anything he does, and we'll see what the future holds," Kelly said at the time."Some of the progressives in the party may feel that it's their time instead of Joe Biden's time," however, Coopie said. "Joe Biden is well loved and well respected by a great number of Democrats, but he's also one of the older candidates. He's somebody who has sort of had his time in the political arena."On Labor Day 2018, Biden told Pittsburgh's Action News 4, "If I were to run for president, I'd be here a lot."