Former Vice President Joe Biden picked up an endorsement from a top Democratic Party official after he won the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday night.
Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic governor of Virginia and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, announced his support for the Biden presidential campaign during an appearance on CNN.
“I’m going to endorse Joe Biden. I’ll be with him in Norfolk tomorrow at 7 o’clock tomorrow night,” McAuliffe said, alluding to Biden’s coming campaign stops in Virginia.
McAuliffe said his priority was defeating President Trump in the general election, noting that healthcare is his biggest focus. “That’s why Democrats win. I want someone who’s going to protect Obamacare and expand Obamacare,” he said.
In a press release sent out by the Biden campaign, McAuliffe castigated Trump’s “hate-driven chaos,” while touting Biden as a principled candidate with broad appeal to defeat the incumbent.
“Joe Biden has been a friend of Virginia Democrats and my friend for decades, and I am proud to endorse him for president of the United States,” he said. “I’ve always said that our best leader is one who can build a broad coalition, including African American voters who are the heart of the Democratic Party. After South Carolina, it is clear Joe Biden is that leader.”
Biden’s projected victory in South Carolina marks the first time he’s won a Democratic nominating contest over three presidential runs, going back nearly 33 years.
Last week, Biden got a high-level Virginia endorsement from Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016. The senator described Biden as “an outwardly ordinary man whose work ethic, faith in the goodness of everyday Americans, and love of country made him a great president.”
