Along with her colleague from Vermont, the Massachusetts senator represents the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (CN) — Securing his third key endorsement in as many days, former Vice President Joe Biden received the backing Wednesday morning of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren to win the White House.
The endorsement was not a surprise but its timing is significant, coming on the heels of Tuesday’s endorsement by former President Barack Obama and Monday’s endorsement by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
With these testimonials, the Biden campaign appears intent on showcasing Democratic unity and creating the sense that all elements of the party are now coming together behind him.
Three senators from swing states — Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan — also endorsed Biden on Wednesday.
Unlike the Sanders endorsement that occurred in a lengthy livestream, or Obama’s 12-minute speech, Warren released a slickly produced 4-minute video that resembled a campaign commercial. It included numerous photos and videos of Biden from different points in his career.
Also unlike the other endorsements, this one focused entirely on Biden. Both Sanders and Obama spent most of their time talking about issues rather than Biden’s credentials or experience.
Biden has pledged to pick a woman as his running mate, and Warren is one of several contenders for the job, especially if Biden decides that he needs to do more to energize the party’s left wing. The endorsement video will only encourage such speculation.
Warren tried to make the case that Biden was an appropriate leader for a time of national crisis, saying he had helped to rebuild the economy when he was in charge of implementing the 2009 Recovery Act.
She also said that “empathy matters” and that Biden would be sensitive to the suffering of working people.
“I’ve seen the vice president help a community heal. One year to the day after the Boston Marathon bombings that tore up bodies and tore our sense of safety and community, he was here,” Warren said.
“People who had been hurt, people who were afraid, he gave them peace and he gave them grace.”
Warren, a leader of the progressive wing of the party, has had numerous public disagreements with Biden for more than a decade, especially over bankruptcy laws. In the video she made the argument that Biden was persuadable when it comes to progressive ideas — perhaps reflecting the fact that Biden changed his positions on health care and student debt just days before Sanders’ endorsement.
“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,” Warren said.
“Among all the other candidates I competed with in the Democratic primary, there’s no one I’ve agreed with 100% of the time over the years. But one thing I appreciate about Joe Biden is he will always tell you where he stands. When you disagree, he’ll listen – and not just listen, but really hear you, and treat you with respect no matter where you’re coming from.”
Warren also said that Biden “is committed to the fight for social, racial, and economic justice.”
Warren summed up by saying that Biden would restore “Americans’ faith in good, effective government.”
“Joe Biden has spent nearly his entire life in public service. He knows that a government run with integrity, competence and heart will save lives and save livelihoods. And we can’t afford to let Donald Trump continue to endanger the lives and livelihoods of every American.”
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