Gov. Wolf Endorses Biden: ‘Pennsylvania Needs a Partner in Washington’

“I believe that Joe Biden is the strong, steady, leader who can best heal our deep divides and enact legislation to lift up all working Pennsylvanians.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president.  

The Biden camp released a statement by Wolf on Wednesday morning announcing the swing state governor was backing the former vice president in his bid for the White House against President Donald Trump. 

“This November, Pennsylvanians have a choice in who will navigate us through the long, arduous process of recovery. I believe that Joe Biden is the strong, steady, leader who can best heal our deep divides and enact legislation to lift up all working Pennsylvanians,” Wolf said. 

“Now more than ever, Pennsylvania needs a partner in Washington. We need a champion for our working families, who can make quality health care and education accessible to all families, and won’t boost corporations and rich CEOs at the expense of middle-class people in our state. I’m proud to endorse Joe Biden for President because we desperately need strong leadership in the Oval Office.”

A recent survey found Gov. Wolf had a 64% approval rating on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, making him one of 49 governors scoring better marks on that issue with those surveyed than President Donald Trump.

RELATED: Fox News Poll: Biden Beats Trump by 8% in Pennsylvania

Biden and Wolf spoke on Wednesday morning during a livestream, in which they discussed the impact of COVID-19 and the steps that states and the nation as a whole can take to help save lives and shorten the duration of the pandemic. 

The former vice president praised the governor for his leadership, and said the way he is handling the state’s reopening is “the kind of thing we should be doing nationally.” Biden complimented Wolf’s approach of setting reopening guidelines on a county-by-county basis, as well as on Pennsylvania’s dispensation of unemployment benefits, despite being one of the hardest hit states in the country when it comes to loss of jobs.

Wolf joins a growing list of governors backing Biden, which now includes the heads of two swing states: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer having endorsed him back in March.

Biden has a strong connection with Pennsylvania, having been born in Scranton, and the governor’s public support is only the latest in a slate of endorsements from the Keystone State. 

Previous endorsements have come from Reps. Bob Casey, Chrissy Houlahan, Conor Lamb, and Mary Gay Scanlon, and former Gov. Ed Rendell. Former Gov. Tom Ridge, a lifelong Republican, has said he doesn’t see himself endorsing the Democratic candidate for president but also said he would not back Trump.

RELATED: Former Gov. Tom Ridge Calls Anti-Lockdown Protestors ‘Self Absorbed and Selfish’

Trump became the first Republican to win a presidential election in the state since 1988. He won by less than one percentage point. 
Polls show Biden with a lead, the RealClearPolitics aggregate showing him up by 6.5 percentage points.