(Reuters) – U.S. House Of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Joe Biden for president, joining a list of top Democrats to back the former vice president since he emerged as the party’s presumptive nominee to take on President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
Pelosi’s endorsement of the Democratic presidential candidate follows that of U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Al Gore, who all threw their weight behind Biden earlier this month.
In a video statement released on Monday, Pelosi cited Biden’s experience in government, including his role in passing the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, as evidence of his leadership qualities. She said Biden is well positioned to lead the country amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
“As we face coronavirus, Joe has been a voice of reason and resilience, with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis,” Pelosi said in her endorsement.
The endorsement comes at an opportune time for Biden, who has struggled to maintain a high profile during the COVID-19 pandemic and sustain the momentum he had built up in his lightning-quick run toward becoming the Democratic nominee.
The Democrats are eager to project unity heading into the presidential race against Trump for the Nov. 3 general election. In recent weeks, the more moderate Biden has made attempts to win the support of Sanders and Warren’s liberal backers.
U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington state, a leading progressive in Congress and an ally of Sanders, on Monday endorsed Biden, calling the former vice president “a deeply dedicated public servant with the ability to unite the American people.”
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Toby Chopra and Jonathan Oatis)
