Influential Congressional Black Caucus PAC backs Biden’s bid

DETROIT — The Congressional Black Caucus PAC endorsed Joe Biden’s presidential bid on Monday, further cementing his support among the nation’s influential black political leadership.

The political action committee’s unanimous endorsement came on the heels of several key nods of support among caucus leadership and members, including civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and caucus Chairwoman Rep. Karen Bass of California. The PAC is the caucus’s separate campaign arm.

“There’s no question that Joe Biden is badly needed by this country,” CBC PAC Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York said. “His leadership, his experience, his understanding on how to get things done and his ability to work and pull people together is needed now more than ever. We need someone that is a healer and not a divider, and that’s Joe Biden.”

Biden, who is on the cusp of clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, had already scored key endorsements from 38 of the 54 members of the group, which is composed of most African American members of Congress.

Black voters have long anchored the former vice president’s White House bid with overwhelming support in South Carolina, on Super Tuesday and in Midwestern states like Michigan. But that was before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the race, forcing several states with significant black populations, like Georgia, to postpone their primaries.

African Americans have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.