Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries, according to an email to his supporters obtained by NBC News.
“I saw firsthand Joe's essential role in passing historic health care reform, saving the American auto industry and our country from another depression, leading our troops home from war, and championing historic civil rights and LGBTQ equality,” Patrick in the email.
Patrick suspended his own presidential campaign after a tepid showing in the New Hampshire primary. He entered the race late, in November, amid uncertainty about whether Biden could command a large field.
But Biden solidified his position in the race with a string of recent primary victories that prompted many of his rivals to drop out. Patrick's endorsement comes days after his fellow former presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke endorsed Biden, whose only remaining rivals are Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
"I know Joe Biden to be a deeply empathetic man," Patrick said in the email. "His interest in and interactions with people, as well as his own experience with personal suffering and setbacks, and his faith, have combined to make him a genuinely caring and compassionate person. He brings those sensibilities to his work."
