In an interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell this afternoon, Vice President Biden said that Democrats can still hold on to his former Senate seat, even now that his son won't be their candidate.

"We have a first-rate candidate now," Biden said, referring to New Castle County Executive Chris Coons. He noted Democrats' registration advantage in the state, and predicted that Coons "is going to surprise the devil out of you."

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Biden said his son, state Attorney General Beau Biden, decided not to run for the seat around Thanksgiving, but only announced it last month because the party wanted to ensure they had a strong candidate. Concern over the political environment was not a factor, he said.

Though Biden stated that Coons is that candidate, Coons himself has only said so far that he's leaning towards running. A Coons spokesperson has not yet returned request for comment.

A funny moment after the Biden interview: Cook Political Report's Charlie Cook, a guest in the next segment of Mitchell's show, says the VP lobbied him in the hallway to change his publication's ranking of the Senate contest as "Solid Republican."