Former President Barack Obama, on Tuesday, formally endorsed Joe Biden for President, a big step in helping to unite their party and marking his own entry into the fight against President Trump.
What We Know:
- There had been little doubt that Obama would back his former vice president once Biden had a lock on the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, but Obama – one of the most popular Democrats in the country – had steadfastly withheld any endorsement during the long party contest that featured numerous contenders.
- Obama’s endorsement came one-day after Biden secured the formal backing of his last remaining rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Another former competitor, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, is expected to soon endorse Biden as well; the timing of the announcement is being largely determined by the Biden campaign, according to a source familiar with the planning.
- Obama did not endorse anyone during the primary season because, sources close to him said, he believed his most important role would be as the uniter after a competition that pitted the party establishment that Biden represented and the liberal wing that Sanders leads. As Biden’s hold on the nomination became clear the in past weeks, Obama had several conversations with Sanders in advance of the senator’s withdrawal from the race, according to a source familiar with the conversations.
- “Bernie’s an American original – a man who has devoted his life to giving a voice to working people’s hopes, dreams and frustrations,” Obama said. “He and I haven’t always agreed on everything. But we’ve always shared a conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just, more equitable society.”
“Joe already has what is the most progressive platform of any major party nominee in history, because even before the pandemic the world upside down, it was already clear that we needed real structural change.” – Barack Obama
I’m proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let's go: https://t.co/maHVGRozkX
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2020
- Biden’s turnaround began when he subjugated his opponents in the South Carolina primary, where most Democratic voters are African American. Biden’s dominance was confirmed soon after, when overwhelming support from black voters helped him to victories in Super Tuesday’s multi-state contests.
- With Obama remaining neutral, his image appeared in many candidates’ campaign ads. Warren ran an ad featuring Obama praising her work in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ran an ad so filled with Obama’s praise of him that some voters mistakenly concluded the former president had endorsed him. Even Sanders, for all his policy disagreements with Obama, late in the campaign ran an ad with old clips of the president praising him.
It was not immediately clear what role Obama would play in the Biden campaign going forward, but he suggested in the video he would get out on the political campaign once the public health emergency ends. “I will see you on the campaign trail as soon as I can,” he said.
