By Clare Foran, CNN
(CNN) — Joe Biden quickly picked up a string of endorsements from Democratic lawmakers Thursday after he formally launched his 2020 presidential campaign, with home state allies as well as moderates expressing enthusiasm in a carefully orchestrated rollout timed to the former vice president’s entry into a crowded 2020 field.
Democratic Sens. Chris Coons and Tom Carper of Delaware, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Doug Jones of Alabama all put out statements of support for Biden’s candidacy on Thursday morning shortly after Biden released a campaign video announcing his bid. Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware was also quick to put out a statement endorsing Biden.
The statements highlighted Biden’s record of public service as vice president and, before that, a member of Congress himself as a Senator representing Delaware, with some lawmakers speaking highly of their own relationship and experiences working with Biden.
“Joe has spent his career championing policies that help all Americans. He is a tested, experienced leader with a proven track record of getting things done for our country,” Carper said in his statement. “I could not be more proud to endorse my friend Joe as he launches his campaign to be the next President of the United States.”
Carper and Biden served together in Delaware’s congressional delegation for nearly two decades, including almost a decade in which they served side-by-side as senators from the First State before Biden left the Senate to become Vice President.
Casey made an electability argument in his endorsement: “In order to accomplish the urgent task of defeating President Trump, Democrats must win Pennsylvania. Joe Biden can and will win Pennsylvania if he is the Democratic nominee for President.” Though Casey was re-elected last year, Trump won Pennsylvania, considered a presidential bellwether, in 2016. Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Coons suggested that Biden is better positioned to handle foreign policy issues than any other Democratic contender, saying that he is “better prepared than anyone to lead America on the world stage at a time when our commitments to our allies and our values are being questioned like never before.”
Jones, who faces a tough battle for re-election in 2020 in the deep red state of Alabama, described Biden as a unifying figure, saying that he can “bring people together to find common ground.”
“The quality that makes Joe stand out is his ability to bring people together to find common ground while standing up for what he believes is right. We need to listen to each other & get things done for working people. Joe can, and will, do that. That’s why I support Joe Biden,” Jones tweeted.
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