Rep. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Andrew Yang are two of the many former candidates endorsing former vice president Joe Biden for President in the upcoming 2020 election.
Yang endorsed Biden live on CNN on Tuesday night. Yang told the CNN panel that Bernie was “an inspiration” to him, but he believed it was time to unite behind Joe Biden.
“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 said. “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, who emphasized his love of math throughout his campaign, added that the “math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee.”
Harris posted a video to Twitter on Sunday announcing her support.
“I have decided with great enthusiasm to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States,” Harris said.
“I believe in Joe. I really believe in him and have known him for a long time,” she continued, calling him a “leader who really does care about the people and can therefore unify the people.”
Biden expressed gratitude for the endorsement.
“Kamala — You’ve spent your whole career fighting for folks who’ve been written off and left behind — and no small part of that alongside Beau,” he said in a Tweet on Sunday morning. “From our family: thank you.”
Biden had floated the potential for Harris to be his running mate in December.
Sens. Harris and former candidate Cory Booker (D-N.J.) appeared in a Detroit rally beside Biden on Monday night, according to The New York Times. They are the many others who have recently thrown their support behind Biden after his multiple victories on Super Tuesday, including Sen. Amy Kloubachar (D-Minn.); South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Maryland Rep. John Delaney; businessman and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg; and former Texas Sen. Beto O’Rourke.
Harris’s endorsement has been met with skepticism, including from The Daily Show’s host, Trevor Noah, who referred to the video as a “hostage-style” statement last night.
“Now please send $10,000 in unmarked bills so that my family can see me again,” Noah joked, imitating Harris. “I’m very happy to be here.”
He also called the seemingly odd turn-about from Harris’s debate criticism, where she confronted Biden about his history of working with segregationists and not supporting public school busing, as “gaslighting” the public.
“How is Kamala gonna endorse Joe Biden and not acknowledge that she once called him a friend of racists who opposed integrated public schools?” Noah asked. “For me, you have to at least say, ‘Look, we’ve had our differences, but—’ or something like that. Otherwise, you make it seem like we’re crazy.”
Harris has not responded to Noah’s sketch.
The wave of endorsements comes in an attempt to stall prominent front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), whose progressive agenda is worrying some about detracting voters from the Democratic Party. Biden so far has 670 delegates, while Sanders carries 574, according to The Associated Press.
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