Kamala Harris throws support to Joe Biden, months after attacking him for school busing

Endorsement should help Biden's already strong standing among African Americans.

Published: March 8, 2020 11:33am

Updated: March 8, 2020 11:56am

Kamala Harris, the former presidential candidate and California senator, threw her support Sunday behind Joe Biden in an endorsement that further strengthens the former vice president's standing among African-American voters.

Harris' long-awaited endorsement came via a morning tweet.

Biden "has served our country with dignity and we need him now more than ever. I will do everything in my power to help elect him the next President of the United States," she wrote.

The plug came as the Democratic establishment begins consolidating around Biden after his strong Super Tuesday performance and amid concerns that Bernie Sanders' democratic socialist agenda might be too risky in the fall.

Sanders is trying to slow Biden's momentum ahead of another round of elections on Tuesday, when the big prize is Michigan, and ahead of the Florida primary later this month. A Florida debate sponsored by a labor union, however, was canceled because of coronavirus fears.

Harris' support, nonetheless, was a bit of a turnaround. Last summer, during one of the early 2020 debates, she skewered Biden for his past position on school busing impacting minorities,

"There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day, and that little girl was me,” Harris said back then. “I will tell you that on this subject, it cannot be an intellectual debate among Democrats. We have to take it seriously. We have to act swiftly."

In her statement Sunday, Harris spoke more glowingly of Biden as a politician with a "proven record of getting things done."

"There is no one better prepared than Joe to steer our nation through these turbulent times, and restore truth, honor, and decency to the Oval Office. He is kind and endlessly caring, and he truly listens to the American people,” the senator said.

“You can see in his eyes how he takes to heart the experiences of mothers and fathers working to make ends meet and worrying about whether their children can be safe in their classroom, or young people who fight tirelessly to tackle climate change as they ask for a fair shot at the future in front of them."

The Facts Inside Our Reporter's Notebook

Videos

Watch Harris attack Biden's record on school busing during a July 2019 debate.

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