Biden picks up more Congressional Black Caucus backing as Wilson, Hastings endorse
Kamala Harris’ loss is Joe Biden’s gain in Florida.
Biden, the former vice president and current front runner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, announced endorsements Tuesday from Democratic U.S. Reps. Frederica Wilson and Alcee Hastings, South Florida members of the Congressional Black Caucus who’d previously endorsed Harris.
Harris, a U.S. senator from California, dropped out of the Democratic primary in early December.
The endorsements reinforce Biden’s standing with black voters. And they deepen Biden’s large stable of surrogates in Florida, a delegate-rich primary state and a key general election battleground that could prove pivotal to President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.
“I trust Joe Biden to deliver for Florida families and look forward to doing my part in helping him turn Florida blue in November because Florida is pivotal,” Wilson said in a statement released by the Biden campaign.
Biden continues to poll ahead of the rest of the Democratic field in Florida as the state heads toward the presidential primary March 17. Mail voting in the Florida primary begins in less than three weeks.
Wilson, whose Miami-to-Broward congressional district is one of the poorest and most left-leaning in the state of Florida, endorsed Harris last June shortly after the California senator went after Biden during the first Democratic presidential debate in Miami last summer.
On Tuesday, Wilson emphasized Biden’s history of advocacy on education and gun safety while explaining her endorsement.
“Our candidate needs to have the strength to beat [President] Donald Trump and the heart to bring this country together, for the sake of our children,” she said.
Hastings, who represents a district that includes parts of Palm Beach County and Southwest Broward, noted Biden’s “proven ability to connect and empathize with folks of all backgrounds.”
Wilson and Hastings are the only South Florida members of congress to make a 2020 endorsement so far, as most Capitol Hill Democrats remain on the sidelines.
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 6:50 PM.
