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Sanders credits Biden for ‘lifetime of public service’

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, smiles while speaking during a fundraiser at the Avalon Hollywood, in Los Angeles. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders will be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, airing this week from Brooklyn, N.Y. Sanders will appear on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, smiles while speaking during a fundraiser at the Avalon Hollywood, in Los Angeles. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders will be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, airing this week from Brooklyn, N.Y. Sanders will appear on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File)

By Associated Press October 21, 2015 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says Vice President Joe Biden has made a decision “that he feels is best for himself, his family and the country.”

The Vermont senator is calling Biden his “good friend” and is thanking the vice president for “a lifetime of public service.”

Sanders says Biden understands the need to rebuild the middle class and address income and wealth inequality.

Biden’s decision not to seek the presidency leaves Sanders and Hillary Rodham Clinton as the leading Democratic candidates to succeed President Barack Obama.