10th black congressman endorses Biden
January 13, 2020
Freshman Rep. Colin Allred endorsed Joe Biden on Monday, giving the former vice president his tenth endorsement from a black member of Congress and his fifth from Texas’ congressional delegation.
“I do think he has the best chance to win in November. I also think he’s the right person for the time,” Allred, a Democrat, told POLITICO in a phone interview. “I don’t think there’s anyone better than Joe Biden, who has been through so much in his personal life, who has such a long record of service, of trying to bring people together, to take over at this time. This is not a normal time in American politics. We need someone like Joe Biden right now.”
Allred, who represents a swing district including parts of Dallas and its suburbs, is the second Texas congressman to back Biden after initially supporting Julián Castro. The former Housing and Urban Development secretary dropped out of the race earlier this month and endorsed Elizabeth Warren.
Texas Rep. Vicente Gonazalez switched his support from Castro to Biden in September and has quietly led a behind-the-scenes effort to rally the Congressional Hispanic Caucus around Biden’s candidacy.
Biden’s campaign, however, has announced endorsements from a slate of former Castro supporters in Texas since the ex-San Antonio mayor endorsed Warren, a show of force that signals that Castro’s backers won’t automatically follow him to the Warren campaign. The list includes state Reps. Rafael Anchia, Ryan Guillen, Eddie Lucio III, Oscar Longoria and Armando Martinez.
Former Vice President Joe Biden. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Biden’s team previously announced in December the support of former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, state Sen. Jose Menendez, state Reps. Rhetta Bowers and Garnet Coleman and Dallas County Clerk John Warren. He also boasts support from Texas Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Marc Veasey and Filemon Vela.
Biden, who has the most endorsements from black and Hispanic members of Congress and congressional Democrats overall, is expected to campaign in Texas this week, with fundraisers Thursday in Dallas and Houston.
He has consistently led in public polls there, even when two home-state candidates, Castro and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, were running. In CNN’s December poll of the state, Biden garnered 35 percent support, 20 points ahead of Bernie Sanders, his nearest competitor.
“Joe Biden will certainly win Texas on Super Tuesday, and I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure that he does,” Allred said, adding that he expects Biden to win delegates in every congressional district. “He has an appeal in Texas that is undeniable, and anybody who’s seen him come through the state will have recognized that. Texans, I think, recognize also that his brand of politics, which is really about bringing people together around ideas that we can deliver on, is one that I think we also support.”
Allred is the latest congressional Democrat from a battleground district to support Biden. Reps. Conor Lamb and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Elaine Luria of Virginia endorsed Biden earlier this month, as did Iowa Rep. Abby Finkenauer. POLITICO reported on Saturday that vulnerable House Democrats are coalescing around Biden amid fears that a more liberal nominee could cost them their seats.
Allred compared Biden’s appeal to that of former Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, whom he said also had the ability to win over disaffected Republicans and independents while also turning out the Democratic base.
“I know that Joe Biden is very popular in my district, and he will certainly win my district in 2020, and I think that that’s probably the case across the country,” Allred said, explaining why other moderate Democrats are getting behind the former vice president.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
