Pelosi endorses ‘battle-tested’ Biden for president

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday in his quest to unseat President Donald Trump, calling Biden a “battle-tested leader who will fight for the people.”

“He will be an extraordinary president,” Pelosi said in a video statement. “He knows how to get the job done.”

As speaker and later House minority leader, Pelosi worked closely with Biden during his years as vice president under President Barack Obama and she touted Biden’s role in overseeing the Recovery and Reinvestment Act during the Great Recession and the work he did to help ensure the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Health care is consistently ranked as a top concern among voters in polls, and Pelosi said the presumptive Democratic nominee “has been with us every step of the way to protect Americans quality, affordable health care.” She drew a contrast with Trump, whom she said was engaged in a campaign to “destroy every last benefit and protection of the ACA.”

Pelosi said that during the coronavirus pandemic, Biden – who has offered his view on how to manage the outbreak in interviews from home – “has been a voice of reason and resilience, with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis.”

During the primary campaign, Pelosi chose to remain neutral and stressed party unity even as moderate House Democrats in purple districts voiced concern that nominating Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a self-described Democratic socialist, would doom their chances of reelection.

Biden’s rivals for the nomination quickly dropped out as he mounted a comeback after losing the first three primary contests. His final opponent, Sanders, withdrew and officially endorsed Biden this month.

In addition to Pelosi and Sanders, Biden has the endorsement of most Democratic Party leaders, including Obama, 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry and former Vice President Al Gore.