Joe Biden nabs endorsement from Sacramento-area congressman as 2020 primary approaches

A top California Democrat has made a decision about which 2020 presidential candidate he’ll support, and it’s not Kamala Harris.

Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, revealed on Tuesday that he’ll endorse former Vice President Joe Biden, becoming the fourth member of the state’s congressional delegation to do so.

“We need to nominate and elect a candidate who is ready to hit the ground running on Day 1, and that candidate, at the end of the day, is Joe Biden,” Bera said.

Bera said he had also strongly considered backing Harris, Pete Buttigieg and former candidate Beto O’Rourke. He pointed to Biden’s views on health care, 36-year tenure in the U.S. Senate and eight years serving as vice president as the key distinguishing factors that tipped the scale in his favor.

“He was the one President Obama would send to Congress to get the votes,” Bera said. “He has a deep understanding of the institution. When I think about where we go from here, I really do want us to start passing legislation that has a chance of passing the Senate and getting signed into law. Those relationships with the senators that Biden has actually matter.”

Biden has also received the formal backing of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, and Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana.

Harris still remains the top endorsement-getter in her home state, with Gov. Gavin Newsom scheduled to campaign for Harris in Iowa later this month. Six California congressional members have backed Harris, while Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and John Delaney each have one House member supporting them.

Bera expects to campaign on Biden’s behalf in Nevada, a neighboring state that is among the first four in the nation to vote. While California is a strongly Democratic state, Bera said Biden should be himself and continue campaigning on a pragmatic set of ideas, such as building on President Barack Obama’s landmark Affordable Care Act legislation rather than abolishing the private health insurance system.

“Biden’s always been near the top in California,” Bera said. “I think California’s a pretty pragmatic state.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Joe Biden nabs endorsement from Sacramento-area congressman as 2020 primary approaches."