Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis is endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden for president, the Biden campaign announced Tuesday morning.
The endorsement comes more than a month ahead of Georgia’s delayed 2020 primary, at which time the Biden campaign will look to secure the nomination over Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.Lewis, who has represented the people of Georgia for 17 terms in the House, is a civil rights hero and marched on Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, back in 1965. In a statement released by the campaign, Lewis urged young black voters in Georgia and other states to rally behind Biden. To date, Biden’s support, especially among members of the black community, has trended significantly older, and he has failed to pull some of Sanders’ more enthusiastic young backers.
“If we fail to vote, we don’t count. The vote is the most powerful, nonviolent tool we have in society, and we must use it,” Lewis’ statement reads. “We have a choice.”
“I have stared down the deepest, and darkest forces in this nation,” he continued. “Vice President Joe Biden and I both believe that we are in a fight to redeem the soul of America. I know Joe Biden as a man of character and dignity — a man who can not, and will not rest when he sees injustice in our American home.”
Lewis also told reporters that Biden should pick a “woman of color” to be his running mate. The former vice president previously pledged to select a woman to fill his old job and both California Sen. Kamala Harris and former Georgia House of Representatives Minority Leader Stacey Abrams have both been floated as potential candidates for the ticket.
Biden spent a portion of Monday speaking with President Donald Trump about the federal government’s coronavirus response. (RELATED: Pro-Trump Super PAC Launches First Wave Of Anti-Biden Ads In Key Battlegrounds)
Trump referred to the exchange as a “very friendly conversation” and told reporters at Monday’s White House coronavirus task force briefing that he “appreciated” Biden’s input on the subject.
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