- Barack Obama has yet to endorse any of the Democratic candidates- including his former vice president, Joe Biden. But on Super Tuesday, many of his top administration officials endorsed Biden.
- The endorsements come from Obama's former chief of staff Denis McDonough, former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, former United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power, and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice.
- The establishment wing of the Democratic Party has begun to consolidate around Biden after he surged to a resounding victory in South Carolina in an attempt to back a moderate candidate against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is leading the delegate count.
- It is unclear how the endorsements will affect the vote on Super Tuesday, when millions of early votes have already been cast.
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Barack Obama has conspicuously declined to endorse candidates during the 2020 Democratic primary, but on Tuesday several of his top advisors publicly endorsed his vice president, Joe Biden.
The endorsements came from members of Obama's cabinet and senior staff, and followed a consolidation of the Democratic Party establishment behind Biden after he rallied to victory in South Carolina.
The endorsements came one after the other as millions of Democrats headed to the polls in 14 states and American Samoa on Super Tuesday.
In an op-ed published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Obama's former chief of staff Denis McDonough said that during his time working with Biden, "he demonstrated not just why the president trusted him to take on tough assignments but why he will be an excellent president."
Obama's former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced his endorsement on CNN.
"Joe Biden is not only a good friend but he's a man I have admired for many, many years," Hagel said. "I don't know of a more experienced, better person, a more decent person in politics."
"I voted today for Joe Biden," former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power tweeted as part of a long thread explaining her decision.
On Monday, Obama's national security advisor and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice posted a picture of her and Biden in an embrace after her mother passed away in 2017. "There is no one kinder, more empathetic and caring than @joebiden," she wrote.
Biden struggled to build momentum after disappointing finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. But his overwhelming victory in South Carolina breathed new life into his campaign and forced his main moderate rivals, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, to drop out and endorse him.
He now heads into Super Tuesday with a wave of establishment support at his back, but it is yet unclear how this will impact his performance tonight. Millions of people had already voted before Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and investor Tom Steyer dropped out this weekend, and in some states, those votes are irreversible, the Associated Press reported.
I have been drawn to the vision & electricity of @ewarren and the policy record of @MikeBloomberg on guns/climate. But I voted today for @JoeBiden. Here's why:
- Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) March 3, 2020I'm proud to endorse @JoeBiden for President.
Here he is comforting me on 1/4/17 just after my mother passed away. There is no one kinder, more empathetic and caring than @joebiden. He will lead America with the same deep compassion and decency. pic.twitter.com/4IBscj75VN
- Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) March 2, 2020