Rep. Pramila Jayapal is endorsing Joe Biden for president as the Democratic Party looks to heal after a bruising primary that pitted more liberal and centrist Democrats against one another.
“VP Biden is a deeply dedicated public servant with the ability to unite the American people. I am moved by his compassion and ability to connect with people on the most human level,” the Washington state congresswoman tweeted Monday of the presumptive 2020 nominee.
[Read more: Backing Biden, Pelosi offers earliest presidential endorsement since 2004]
Today I am announcing my endorsement of @JoeBiden for President of the United States.
VP Biden is a deeply dedicated public servant with the ability to unite the American people. I am moved by his compassion and ability to connect with people on the most human level.
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) April 27, 2020
Last week, Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan, Jayapal’s Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairman, announced he was supporting Biden, along with other members of the group, including California Rep. Ro Khanna and New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland.
Khanna was previously one of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s national 2020 presidential campaign co-chairwomen, while Haaland held a similar position on Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s team. California Rep. Katie Porter, another CPC member and Warren co-chairwoman, backed Biden earlier this month.
The coalescing of support around Biden is a boon for the two-term vice president and Delaware’s 36-year senator as he prepares for his general election fight against President Trump.
When Biden emerged as the next likely Democratic standard-bearer, he promised the party’s broad coalition they would find a “home” with his campaign. But he rankled more liberal Democrats last week by adding Larry Summers to his staff as an economic adviser.
Summers, a former Clinton treasury secretary and Obama National Economic Council director, is deeply disliked by the likes of Warren. Warren opposed him when advising 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on potential Cabinet picks in case she won the White House that cycle. The pair continue to clash over issues, such as the senator’s “wealth tax” policy.
Liberal firebrand New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said this month she would vote for Biden but vowed to push him to the left on topics such as healthcare, climate change, immigration, and Puerto Rico.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, another member of “the Squad,” the quartet of first-term female minority House Democrats who frequently spar with President Trump, is also hoping for policy shifts.
“When it comes to our nominee, I of course will support, but I also know that it is going to be important for Vice President Biden to really understand that poll after poll after poll, people wanted ‘Medicare for all’ as a policy platform implemented in this country,” she told Crooked Media’s What a Day podcast.
