Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Joe Biden backed by coalition of current, former Florida officials.
The coalition of current and former Broward elected officials that’s been urging Democrats to nominate a moderate centrist for president voted Wednesday to endorse Joe Biden for president.
Also on Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel and Ted Deutch both endorsed Biden.
All 34 members of the Real Solutions Caucus voted to support Biden, said Steve Geller, the group’s chiarman.
The organization had planned an endorsement meeting for Saturday. But given the recent spate of moderate candidates dropping out, Geller said there wasn’t a need to wait to show support for Biden.
“Joe Biden has a long record of unselfish leadership for the People of America. He is a man of great integrity, in stark contrast to the current occupant of the White House. The Real Solutions Caucus was formed to help the nomination of a Democratic candidate who can appeal to the entire spectrum of Democratic voters, and help bring crossover independent and Republican voters,” the group’s endorsement stated.
In several previous straw polls, Biden was consistently the favorite of the Democrats in the group. But at various times in recent months, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg had received significant support.
The most progressive candidates, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, had miniscule support from real solutions members.
The group was premised on the idea that President Donald Trump requires a Democratic nominee who can appeal to a broad swath of the electorate — not one of the progressives running far to the left.
They want someone who can appeal to swing voters in the handful of states that could go either way in the presidential election, and with their electoral votes will decide who is the next president.
When the group organized in the middle of last year, members said 10 of the candidates running could have fit the bill. All but Biden are now gone from the race.
The group’s statement of principles strongly condemns Trump: “We believe that our current president is an existential threat to our country and that we must do everything we can to prevent his reelection. We object to his constant lying, his divisiveness, his cozy relations with Russia and other totalitarian countries while fighting with our historical allies.”
Geller, a Broward County commissioner and former Democratic leader of the Florida Senate, said members of the caucus planned to publicize the endorsement, along with a personal messages, to their networks for friends and volunteers.
Deutch and Frankel
Separately on Wednesday, the Biden campaign said Frankel, who represents much of Palm Beach County, has endorsed the former vice president.
Two weeks ago, Frankel said she didn’t know if she’d endorse before the March 17 primary.
On Wednesday, Frankel said in a statement provided by the Biden campaign that he “is the candidate who can win Florida and help Florida Democrats win down ballot. At a moment when our state legislators and governor are fighting against voting rights, gun safety, and access to health care, we need a leader at the very top of the ticket who won’t just help us halt these attacks on everyday Floridians, but also help us gain seats and political power across the state.”
Deutch, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, had endorsed Bloomberg on Feb. 13.
“Joe has the experience, judgment, and decency to defeat Donald Trump and bring America together,” Deutch said in a statement released from the Biden campaign. “It is time to end a presidency that has torn America apart and start an optimistic new chapter behind President Joe Biden.”
Three of the other Democratic lawmakers from Broward and Palm Beach counties, Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wassserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson, had previously endorsed Biden.
The fourth Democrat, Ted Deutch, endorsed Bloomberg, who dropped out on Wednesday.