Bernie Sanders reaffirms support for Biden
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a firm backing for Biden's re-election bid in a guest essay published in the New York Times Saturday.
Sanders, who previously challenged Biden in the 2020 primary, acknowledged his differences with the president on several issues and concerns over Biden's age. However, he chastised Democrats who have come out calling for Biden to step aside.
"Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate. And with an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking."
Among the Democrats who have called for Biden to end his bid is fellow Vermont Sen. Peter Welch.
Sanders did not directly mention Welch, who is currently the only senator to openly call on Biden to bow out, in the essay.
Instead, he focused on the dangers of Trump's policies and rhetoric and played up Biden's accomplishments in several areas including income inequality.
"This election offers a stark choice on issue after issue. If Mr. Biden and his supporters focus on these issues — and refuse to be divided and distracted — the president will rally working families to his side in the industrial Midwest swing states and elsewhere and win the November election. And let me say this as emphatically as I can: For the sake of our kids and future generations, he must win," Sanders said.