Warren, swing-state Democrats back Biden
US Senator Elizabeth Warren yesterday endorsed former vice president Joe Biden for president, delivering another high-profile backing from a liberal former rival as he aims to unify the Democratic Party ahead of a bruising contest with Republican President Donald Trump.
Warren, who ended her own bid for the White House last month, gives Biden his third major endorsement of the week.
Biden’s chief rival, US Senator Bernie Sanders, endorsed him on Monday after suspending his campaign last week, while former president Barack Obama backed Biden on Tuesday.
The rollouts represent a powerful demonstration of party unity seven months before the November 3 general election.
The endorsements have given Biden a series of headlines at a time when his campaign is effectively on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak — and when Trump has captured media attention with his combative White House briefings.
After Sanders’ departure from the race, Biden’s campaign shifted left on two of the Vermont senator’s top priorities, student debt and healthcare.
The two men said during a joint video appearance on Monday that they would create working groups to address major policy areas.
In the video released yesterday, Warren noted she didn’t agree with Biden all the time but praised his willingness to adapt.
“One thing I appreciate about Joe Biden is he will always tell you where he stands,” she said.
“When you disagree — he’ll listen .... And he’s shown throughout this campaign that when you come up with new facts or a good argument, he’s not too afraid — or too proud — to be persuaded.”
Three Democratic US senators from states expected to be crucial in November, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters of Michigan, also endorsed Biden yesterday.
Trump narrowly won both states in 2016, the first time either had voted for a Republican in decades.
US Representative Adam Schiff from California, who played a prominent role in Trump’s impeachment proceedings, also backed Biden yesterday.
By contrast, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading progressive from New York who had previously backed Sanders in the 2020 race, said yesterday she wanted to see Biden refine his stances on issues including healthcare and immigration before endorsing him.
Warren noted Biden’s humble beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the “unspeakable tragedy” he faced — a reference to the 1972 car accident that killed his first wife and infant daughter.
“These experiences animate the empathy he extends to Americans who are struggling — no matter what their story,” Warren said.
“Empathy matters. And, in this moment of crisis, it’s more important than ever that the next president restores Americans’ faith in good, effective government.”
Warren is seen as a possible vice presidential candidate for Biden, who has promised to select a woman and has said he will consider his former rivals for the nomination.
But the ideological gaps between them — her backing of a government-run single-payer healthcare system, for instance — could prove an obstacle.