Daschle backs McAuliffe

Former Senate Majority Leader and co-chairman of President Obama’s campaign Tom Daschle endorsed Terry McAuliffe’s bid for Virginia governor on Monday.

The endorsement is significant because McAuliffe has been coming under heavy fire for is support of Hillary Clinton in the presidential race last year.

In a statement, Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, said McAuliffe worked to unite the Democratic Party after the lengthy primary battle.

“From the day Hillary Clinton ended her historic bid for president, Terry worked tirelessly to unify our party around Barack Obama and get him elected President,” Daschle said. “His energy and enthusiasm were tremendous assets on the campaign trail and we were grateful to have him on our side.”

jeremy.jacobs@digital-stage.thehill.com