California Rep. Karen Bass, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, The Associated Press reports.
“It’s very clear to me that he is the best person, not just to beat (President Donald) Trump, but he is the person to lead at this time,” Bass told the AP. “I think him having a long-standing history of working with African American communities, most notably in his own state but around the country, was qualitatively different from the other candidates.”
Bass said she held off on endorsing candidates because Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Cory Booker, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, were still in the race. Both have since dropped out and endorsed Biden.
CBC rallies behind Biden:
Bass is the 37th member of the 54-member caucus to throw her support behind Biden.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, the No. 3 Democrat in the House, endorsed Biden ahead of his big South Carolina win earlier this month.
Only one member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, has endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Bass says it might be time for Bernie to drop out:
“I would never be in a position to say, ‘You need to drop out,’” Bass told the AP. “I do think, though, that math is math.”
“I think they have to do the soul searching and say, ‘Why am I still doing this?’ But I think that’s an individual decision or a campaign decision,” she said, referring to both Sanders and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Clyburn said on Tuesday that the party should step in and “shut down” the primary if Sanders does not drop out.
