Biden leads Trump in presidential poll 1:38
(WAB NEWS) – Hillary Clinton will endorse Joe Biden on Tuesday, a source familiar with the plans told CNN, which gives support to the former vice president and current presidential candidate for the Democratic flag bearer four years ago.
Clinton will be the “special guest” at a virtual Biden forum on Tuesday afternoon. Biden’s campaign said the guest will discuss the impact the coronavirus has had on women.
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Clinton said in a tweet that she was “excited” to join Biden.
Obama supports Biden’s candidacy
Her endorsement was an expected conclusion, as she had said for months that she would endorse the final candidate, but it remains a significant boost for Biden because the former secretary of state still has the deep support of a number of Democratic voters. She gained more than 65 million votes four years ago and has proven to be a prolific fundraiser throughout her political career.
But Clinton’s endorsement will also allow Republicans to unearth every controversy and attack they used on the 2016 Democratic nominee, something Republicans are eager to do as they seek to recreate the strategy that led to President Donald Trump’s victory.
“There is no greater concentration of Democratic establishment than Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton put together,” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. “President Trump beat him once and now he will beat his chosen candidate.”
Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a ceremony at the Russell Buildingâs Kennedy Caucus Room in December 2016. (Credit: Roll Call via AP Images)
Clinton is the last Democrat to back Biden, who after a slow start to the primary process saw his fortune shift by dominating the South Carolina primaries and achieving a number of key victories in overcoming. Former President Barack Obama, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders backed Biden earlier this month.
Clinton backed away from the main contest, repeatedly telling interviewers that she was paying attention to the nomination process from afar.
“I’m just looking and waiting for us to nominate the strongest candidate to remove the current incumbent,” Clinton said in March, before the field was largely cleared. “That’s the only thing that really matters at the end of the day.”
Biden’s message after end of Sanders campaign
But Clinton stepped up her praise of Biden after the beat, once the former vice president’s only opponent was Bernie Sanders, a politician for whom Clinton has had deep animosity after the Vermont senator remained in the 2016 primaries for months. after its path to victory the nomination was largely closed.
“He has the experience,” Clinton said of the former vice president. “He knows what to do, he can repair the damage he would inherit.”
Clinton’s endorsement of Biden is akin to what happened in 2016, when Biden stepped aside and endorsed his former Senate colleague despite wanting to run. The decision was derived in part because former President Barack Obama strongly endorsed Clinton, but denied his running mate and vice president the opportunity to run for the job in 2016.
However, the decision not to apply weighed heavily on Biden.
“I regret it every day, but it was the right decision for me and my family,” Biden said in January 2016, noting the fact that his son, Beau, had died the previous year. “And I plan to stay deeply involved.”
