Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton endorsed his former Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden for president, the second 2020 drop-out to do so.
“There’s no better preparation for the White House than the decades Joe Biden has spent serving the country, especially his eight years as vice president,” Moulton, 41, said Monday. “His record is one of turning progressive ideas into laws like an assault rifle ban, the Violence Against Women Act, and health care reform that made the country safer and stronger. Most importantly: Joe can win.”
The Massachusetts congressman ran a short-lived presidential bid last year, launching in late April and ending his campaign in August after failing to gain traction in the historically crowded field of candidates. Moulton is a decorated Marine Corps combat veteran who did three tours in Iraq and was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for valor.
Earlier this month, Moulton took a jab at presidential hopeful and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a Navy Reserve veteran who has touted his experience as an intelligence analyst in Afghanistan as a selling point for his candidacy.
“There’s no combat veterans left in the race. I have tremendous respect for Pete’s service as an analyst, but analysts don’t make decisions,” Moulton said. “There’s only one candidate who has had to make life-or-death decisions involving American lives, and that’s Vice President Biden.”
While he supports Biden now, Moulton was critical of the former vice president during his brief campaign. “I don’t think people look to the Vietnam generation as the generation that’s going to figure that out,” he said in July.
.@JoeBiden is a proven and effective leader who has what it takes to beat Donald Trump and unify our country. I’m proud to endorse him. pic.twitter.com/fqoLlueHYt
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) January 27, 2020
Moulton joins Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, who also ran a short-lived presidential campaign last year, in endorsing Joe Biden.
Former Housing Secretary Julian Castro earlier this month endorsed Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president shortly after ending his own bid, and he has campaigned for her in early voting states.
Spiritual author Marianne Williamson threw her support behind fellow political outsider and entrepreneur Andrew Yang after ending her long-shot bid earlier this month.
