A top Joe Biden adviser just sent this email laying out his potential campaign platform

A top political adviser to Vice President Joe Biden sent an email to so-called "Biden alumni" late Thursday night, laying out a potential campaign platform and urging them to stay ready in case Biden decides to throw his hat into the ring.

Former US Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Delaware) said in the email, first reported by The Associated Press, that Biden would make a "decision" soon and that he would run an "optimistic" and "from the heart" campaign.

Kaufman is Biden's former chief of staff and held Biden's Senate seat after he became vice president.

Biden has flirted for weeks with a potential late entry into the race, admitting to struggling with a final decision amid the lingering grief over the death of his late son, Beau, in May.

Some political pundits speculated after Tuesday night's first Democratic debate that Biden would be less likely to run in the wake of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's strong performance.

Kaufman alluded to the "ups and downs of the political swirl" in the email, adding that sometimes it's "good to take a step back."

Here's the full email, which was obtained by Business Insider:

Dear friend,

A lot of you are being asked, and have asked me, about the direction and timing of the Vice President's thinking about a run for President. On the second question - timing - I can't add much, except I am confident that the Vice President is aware of the practical demands of making a final decision soon. He has been in public and political life a long time and he has a good grip on the mechanics around this decision.

But on the first question, I know him well, and have spoken with him extensively about this issue. It will not surprise you, as it does not surprise me, what he will weigh in the decision and what - being Joe Biden - he will not.

All of you know well that the first and foremost consideration will be the welfare and support of his family. That's Joe Biden. He has been clear about this and it is as true today as it has been for the past several months. He is determined to take, and to give his family, as much time as possible to work this through.

But then the question is what kind of Presidential campaign he believes he would run, and what kind of President he believes he can be. If he runs, he will run because of his burning conviction that we need to fundamentally change the balance in our economy and the political structure to restore the ability of the middle class to get ahead. And whether we can a political consensus in America to get it done

And what kind of campaign? An optimistic campaign. A campaign from the heart. A campaign consistent with his values, our values, and the values of the American people. And I think it's fair to say, knowing him as we all do, that it won't be a scripted affair-- after all, it's Joe.

He believes we must win this election. Everything he and the President have worked for - and care about - is at stake.

I know in the daily ups and down of the political swirl, we all get bombarded with the tactics. So sometimes it's good to take a step back and get real again. Let's stay in touch. If he decides to run, we will need each and every one of you - yesterday!

Ted