Rhode Island governor endorses Biden shortly after Bloomberg exits 2020 race

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) announced she would support Joe Biden for president just hours after former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom she had previously endorsed, dropped out of the race.

The decision by Raimondo could be a precursor to other politicians flipping to the former vice president after Bloomberg’s decision to exit the presidential contest.

NBC News affiliate WPRI reported that Raimondo told reporters of her decision Wednesday morning, as Bloomberg announced the end of his candidacy following a poor performance on Super Tuesday. In her remarks, Raimondo reportedly defended Bloomberg’s motivations for jumping in the race.

“He got in the race because he wanted to make sure Donald Trump is defeated, and he got out of the race for that same reason,” she said.

Raimondo was an early endorser of Bloomberg’s campaign and has been a political ally of the mayor for years.

“Mike’s a friend,” she said in February. “He has an unbelievable track record of delivering. He’s the only one running who’s run something — he’s run, very successfully, the largest most complex city and a large company that he started from scratch.”

At the time, Raimondo was viewed by some as a possible vice president for Bloomberg’s ticket should the billionaire former mayor have won the nomination.

“I’m looking at everybody,” he said in February when asked about that prospect. “I’ve watched her for years and I’ve been very proud to support her, and I think she has a great future in this country wherever she decides to go.”