Former presidential candidate and CNN political commentator Andrew Yang formally endorsed Joe Biden (D) for president Tuesday evening as election results came in, showing big victories for the former vice president.
“I believe that Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee and I’ve always said I’m going to support whoever the nominee is,” Yang told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. “So I hereby am endorsing Joe Biden to be not just the nominee for the Democratic Party but the next president of the United States.”
Yang acknowledged his support for Sanders in 2016, describing the Vermont senator an “inspiration for me,” but he suggested that the delegate math simply does not add up in Sanders’ favor.
“The math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee; we need to bring the party together,” Yang stated. “We need to start working on defeating Donald Trump in the fall.”
Yang, who suspended his campaign in February after a lackluster performance in New Hampshire and Iowa, told his supporters that he would support the eventual Democrat nominee as he dropped out.
“I will support whoever is the Democratic nominee,” Yang said on the night of the New Hampshire primary. “That said, I hope this campaign can be a message and a word of caution and guidance to my Democratic colleagues that Donald Trump is not the cause of all of our problems.”
Biden has received a wave of support from his former competitors in recent days, earning endorsements from Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) this week. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), former mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) endorsed Biden prior to last week’s Super Tuesday contests.
The Associated Press has called the primary races in Mississippi, Missouri, and Michigan for Biden. Polls have not yet closed in North Dakota, Idaho, and Washington.