Ex-rivals Buttigieg, Klobuchar endorse Joe Biden
DALLAS: Former rivals Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar endorsed Mr Joe Biden's presidential candidacy on the eve of Super Tuesday voting, as moderate Democrats rallied around the former vice-president to strengthen his challenge to front runner Bernie Sanders.
Mr Buttigieg threw his weight behind Mr Biden at an emotional appearance at a Dallas restaurant, while Ms Klobuchar delivered a barnstorm of a speech at a rally.
"Joe Biden has dedicated his life to fighting for people," Ms Klobuchar said, before introducing Mr Biden at the rally in Dallas on Monday night.
"Not for the rich and powerful, but for the mum, for the farmer, for the dreamer, for the veteran. He can bring our country together."
Mr Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and the first openly gay presidential hopeful, said earlier in Dallas that he was "delighted to endorse and support Joe Biden".
"He is somebody of such extraordinary grace, kindness and empathy."
Mr Biden told reporters that Mr Buttigieg "reminds me of my son Beau", who died in 2015, adding: "To me, it is the highest compliment you can give any man or woman."
Former US representative Beto O'Rourke, another former hopeful for the Democratic nomination, also endorsed Mr Biden.
It was not immediately clear who would immediately benefit from the departures of Mr Buttigieg and Ms Klobuchar.
A Morning Consult poll taken from Feb 23 to 27, for example, before Mr Buttigieg exited the race, showed that 21 per cent of his supporters named Mr Sanders as their second choice, 19 per cent picked Mr Biden and another 19 per cent chose Ms Elizabeth Warren.
Mr Biden lags behind his rivals in spending and organisation in Super Tuesday states and beyond, but his campaign said on Sunday it had raised more than US$10 million (S$14 million) over the preceding two days.
Mr Biden is fresh off a victory in the South Carolina primary and is aiming for a strong showing on Super Tuesday against Mr Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, who many centrist Democrats fear cannot beat Republican President Donald Trump in November. - REUTERS
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