U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur on Tuesday endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president, citing his character and unwavering support for Midwestern states like Ohio and Michigan.
“Vice President Biden is a family man, a man of character, and an honorable public servant — and I am proud to endorse him for President of the United States. On a personal level, despite enduring more tragedy than any of us should have to experience, Joe Biden chose to continue his public service and has fought for every family as if they were his own,” the Toledo Democrat said in a statement.
“Biden fought tirelessly for the survival of our industrial heartland. He was the driving force behind the rescue of the American auto industry. Without Joe’s consequential leadership, Ohio and the Midwest may never have recovered.”
The endorsement from the longest serving female lawmaker in the U.S. House comes as Michigan and five other states vote in presidential primaries and a week before Ohioans head to the polls. She joins nearly 70 current and former elected officials from across Ohio who have endorsed Mr. Biden, including U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, former Gov. Ted Strickland, 2018 gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley.
In a push for momentum ahead of Michigan and Ohio’s primaries, Mr. Biden announced nearly two dozen new Ohio endorsements on Monday. He also launched TV and radio ads in the Buckeye State, whose support is crucial to demonstrating broad appeal among moderate Democrats and independents.
Miss Kaptur said in September she was leaning toward endorsing Mr. Biden, who is the most experienced candidate and “doesn’t need any training wheels.” She backed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary, which he lost to Hillary Clinton in Ohio. His current supporters in Ohio include former state Sen. Nina Turner, a national campaign co-chairman.
On Tuesday, she called Mr. Biden “a man who tells the truth and provides the stark, healing contrast we desperately need after four corrosive years of Donald Trump. I know that with Joe Biden, we’ll beat Trump in November and with his experience, wisdom, and compassion, begin to set this ship right again.”
Mr. Biden hosted a rally in Detroit on Monday night after a day of campaigning and fund-raising in Michigan. The event featured Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, former primary rivals now backing Mr. Biden in what has become a two-person race between Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders. The results in Michigan, which has 125 delegates up for grabs, might lock up the race for either candidate.
First Published March 10, 2020, 4:50 p.m.