Elizabeth Warren Endorses Biden: 'When You Disagree, He'll Listen'

Joe Biden has received the endorsement of another of his former rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

"Empathy matters," Warren said in a video released on Twitter today. "And in this moment of crisis, it's more important than ever that the next president restores Americans' faith in good, effective government. Joe Biden has spent nearly his entire life in public service. He knows that a government run with integrity, competence, and heart will save lives and save livelihoods. And we can't afford to let Donald Trump continue to endanger the lives and livelihoods of every American. And that's why I'm proud to endorse Joe Biden as president of the United States."

Warren often took positions to the left of the former vice president during the primary season, but she noted, "One thing I appreciate about Joe Biden is that he will always tell you where he stands. When you disagree, he'll listen -- not just listen, but really hear you and treat you with respect, no matter where you're coming from. And he has shown throughout this campaign that when you come up with new facts or a good argument, he's not too afraid or too proud to be persuaded."

Biden has recently "endorsed forgiving at least $10,000 in federal student loans and credited Ms. Warren for the proposal," The New York Times reports. He has also said Social Security payments should be increased by $200 a month immediately, something else Warren has backed.

Warren had experience with Biden before she became a senator. As a law professor with expertise in bankruptcy, she fought with Biden, when he was a senator from Delaware, over a bill making it harder for consumers to declare bankruptcy, which he supported and she opposed. Based on that experience, she recalled that when she was sworn in to the Senate in 2013, Biden said to her, "You gave me hell! And you're gonna do a great job." Also before her Senate service, she worked with Biden and President Barack Obama on setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

She and Biden have generally agreed on LGBTQ rights, with both championing the Equality Act, an end to the transgender military ban, and other measures to benefit the community. Warren was more outspoken on these matters than any other 2020 Democratic presidential aspirant, and the executive editors of The Advocate and Out endorsed her in the primary season. When she withdrew from the presidential race in March, she was the last viable female candidate.

There was much speculation about whether she would endorse Biden or his last major rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, but she was silent until now, after Sanders suspended his campaign, making Biden the presumptive nominee. Warren's endorsement of Biden follows several other high-profile ones this week -- from Sanders, out Sen. Tammy Baldwin, and, likely most important, Obama.

Biden issued a statement thanking Warren for her support. "Throughout this primary, there was no competitor more passionate in her convictions or sharper in her arguments than Senator Elizabeth Warren," he said. "Her voice made the debate stage, the Democratic Party, and every candidate competing against her better and stronger. By centering her campaign in the importance of ideas and comprehensive policy plans, she helped set a high-water mark for what our politics can be at their best -- authentic and service-oriented, focused on how we can deliver the most help to the most people. ... I am proud to have Senator Warren in my corner for the fight ahead -- not just as we work to defeat Donald Trump in November, but in the years to come, as we push through a bold and progressive policy agenda for the American people."

"Senator Warren knows what's possible when leaders put their own egos aside and do the work," he added. "And thanks to her integrity and determination, today there are millions of little girls and young women who know that their voices can command any stage and change the world for the better. Generations of women will be inspired to get involved in public life -- to dream big and fight hard -- because of Elizabeth."