Vice President Joe Biden regrets not running for president

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Vice President Joe Biden said he regrets "every day" not running for president but said it was the right decision for his family.

Biden, in an exclusive interview with NBC Connecticut, said he will remain involved with the 2016 presidential race and believes the Democratic party has two good candidates. Biden added the race between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is "what I expected." There has been a "real robust debate between Hillary and Bernie, as there would have been if I had gotten in the race," he said.

"I regret it every day, but it was the right decision for my family and for me. And I plan on staying deeply involved," he said.

Biden's comments come as he pushes President Barack Obama's executive actions on gun control.

Biden said the Republican race has not been "very illuminating" and pointed out the Democratic candidates have not been involved in personal attacks.

Biden said he has spoken to three Republican candidates, whom he did not name, who said the race has been "crazy, absolutely crazy."

In October, Biden, 72, announced he would not seek a bid for the 2016 Democratic nomination, ending months of speculation about his future in politics. He said the death of his son Beau in May took an emotional toll on him and his family.

He vowed to "speak out clearly and forcefully to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation."