Sen. Dick Durbin says he’s not sure Vice President Joe Biden could win the Democratic presidential nomination if he enters the race now.

Calls within the party for Biden to run have been fueled by concerns over Hillary Rodham Clinton’s email controversy and declining popularity. Her strong debate performance last week dampened some of that talk.

Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, was asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Monday whether Biden could win the nomination by jumping in now. Durbin said he was “not sure … I would say at this point he has not had the starting structure” that Clinton has.

Durbin said Clinton “has a long history of controversy and I think that turns some people off.” But he said Clinton is “still the strongest candidate for president.”

(AP)