Buttigieg officially endorses Biden for president

Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Monday night officially endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential race.

The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., threw his support behind Biden during a joint appearance in Dallas after suspending his own campaign Sunday.

“I’m looking for a leader,” Buttigieg said. “I’m looking for a president who will draw out what is best in each of us, and I’m encouraging everybody who was part of my campaign to join me because we have found that leader in Vice President — soon to be President — Joe Biden.”

.@PeteButtigieg: “I’m looking for a leader. I’m looking for a president who will draw out what is best in each of us, and I’m encouraging everybody who was part of my campaign to join me because we have found that leader in Vice President – soon to be President – @JoeBiden.” pic.twitter.com/4FKvJiHVVh

— Matt Hill (@thematthill) March 3, 2020

Buttigieg said during his endorsement speech that his goal in running for president was “rallying the country together to defeat Donald Trump and to win the era for the values that we share.”

“And that was always a goal much bigger than me becoming president, and it is in the name of that very same goal that I’m delighted to endorse and support Joe Biden for president,” he said.

He also said he hopes to bring “dignity back to the White House” and work to win “vitally important” House, Senate and local races.  

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), another moderate candidate, also dropped out of the race Monday with reported plans to endorse Biden.

The decision by the two to leave the race and endorse Biden clears a path in the moderate lane for the former vice president and marks a turnaround of sorts for him after a rocky start to the primary season. Biden came in fourth and fifth in Iowa and New Hampshire. But he experienced a big win in South Carolina, propelling him to second place in the delegate count and opening the door to a flood of new endorsements.

Currently, Biden has 54 delegates, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the front-runner, has 60.

Biden, Klobuchar and Buttigieg all positioned themselves as alternative moderate candidates to Sanders. But as the moderate vote remained split, Sanders surged ahead before the South Carolina primary.

Buttigieg’s endorsement comes in the day ahead of Super Tuesday, when 14 states and a territory will be voting to distribute more than a third of the delegates to candidates.