California Rep. John Garamendi endorses Biden

White House hopeful Joe Biden nabbed a new congressional endorsement on Saturday, with Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) lauding the former vice president as the candidate for “working men and women.”

“I want Joe Biden to be our next president,” Garamendi said on CNN. “I want somebody that comes from the middle class, from the working American, to be our president, who understands what it is to try to make it in America as a family, working in a factory, on a construction job or in an office, trying to put together the necessary resources to educate their kids, to provide their health care.”

“That’s Joe Biden. That’s where he has been for his entire career, standing shoulder to shoulder with Obama during those eight years, caring about our veterans, caring about the working men and women. So yeah, I’m all in for Joe Biden.”

Rep. Garamendi endorses Joe Biden in the 2020 race.

“He can pull us together, not divide us, but find the common threads of this nation’s future and pull us in a direction that we can all be together.” https://t.co/RaR9LZYf01 pic.twitter.com/9TICKvoHGY

— CNN (@CNN) November 30, 2019

Garamendi, a six-term member of the House, said he’s been impressed with every candidate in the crowded primary field but maintained that Biden was in the best position to restore order to the federal government.

Garamendi endorsed Biden over fellow California Democrat Sen. Kamala Harris, who has struggled to gain traction in early voting states amid lagging poll numbers and calls from some Democrats to shake up her campaign staff.

“I’ve been watching all the candidates. The Democratic candidates are terrific, each and every one, bringing to the debate very, very important issues,” Garamendi said on CNN. “But what really cements it for me is this government under the Trump administration is total chaos.”

“We need a president that can put this ship of state back in its correct order so that we have a government that actually functions,” he added.

The endorsement comes as some Democrats express concerns that Biden, the primary field’s leading moderate, could be vulnerable if he doesn’t perform well in the first two voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

The former vice president maintains his lead in national primary polls but has fallen behind in some of the early state surveys. He also finished the third quarter of the year millions of dollars behind his top competitors in cash on hand. 

However, Biden maintains strong support among establishment Democrats, garnering the most endorsements from governors and members of Congress, according to a tally by Politico.