Biden, seeking support of women, wins Hillary Clinton’s endorsement

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden won the endorsement on Tuesday of Hillary Clinton for the office she fell short of winning in 2016 in her bid to become the first woman elected as US president.

Clinton’s defeat four years ago remains the source of anger and consternation among liberals, including some who wrestle with whether they chose the right candidate.

Women favored Clinton over Trump in 2016, exit polls showed, and are expected to play a critical role in swaying the most competitive swing states in the November 3 election between Biden and Trump.

On Tuesday, Biden and Clinton promoted the need to define abortion as essential healthcare during the coronavirus pandemic and to provide subsidies to victims of domestic violence forced to take time off from work.

The former first lady’s signature issue during the presidency of her husband, Bill Clinton, was healthcare reform, and her early career included advocacy on family and children’s issues. Speaking on the webcast, she said women were disproportionately hurt by some of the consequences of the pandemic.

Biden agreed, adding that abortion was being used as “a political wedge” during the crisis. Some Republican-led states have sought to curb the procedure as part of their emergency response.

Not In Doubt

In a statement responding to the endorsement, Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said: “There is no greater concentration of Democrat establishment than Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton together.”

“President Trump beat her once and now he’ll beat her chosen candidate,” the statement added.

Clinton’s support for Biden at this stage was never in doubt. Biden is widely supported by his party’s establishment and his last remaining rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, dropped out earlier this month.

Sanders has also endorsed Biden.

Sanders, a democratic socialist, clashed with Clinton over personality and ideology in their 2016 Democratic presidential race.

Clinton was Obama’s first secretary of state. Biden decided against mounting a campaign against her in 2016 as he grieved the death of his son Beau. Obama, the first black U.S. president, endorsed Biden’s campaign two weeks ago after Sanders’ withdrawal from the contest.