Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke announced on Twitter the day before Super Tuesday that he endorses Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Berke's endorsement comes a day after Pete Buttigieg ended his presidential campaign. Berke was among more than 50 mayors across the country who endorsed the 37-year-old Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana, last September.
Amy Klobuchar and Buttigieg united behind Biden's presidential bid on Monday as well as the Democratic Party's moderate wing scrambled to boost the former vice president just hours before voting began across a series of high-stakes Super Tuesday states.
Berke said on Twitter that Biden was there for the Chattanooga community after the July 16, 2015, attack in which five service members were killed when a 24-year-old gunman opened fire on two military sites in Chattanooga.
"In 2015, when a gunman attacked two military facilities in Chattanooga and senselessly killed five brave servicemembers who proudly served our country, Joe Biden, who has lost too many loved ones, showed up to console the heartbroken families. In a moment of horrific tragedy, Joe Biden helped heal our community. That's the type of leader Joe is and it's why I believe he is uniquely positioned to bring our nation together. Let's put someone in the White House who will unite all Americans, bring dignity to the most powerful office in the world, and fight every day for hardworking families in Chattanooga and across the nation. I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States."
Calling Tennessee a "critical Super Tuesday" state, Biden's campaign says Berke's endorsement "adds to the growing momentum Joe Biden has established in Tennessee," noting he joins 30 current and former elected officials, including state senators and representatives, mayors, city council members and community leaders backing Biden.
During the August 2015 memorial service for the slain service members in Chattanooga, Biden denounced the shooter as a "perverted jihadist."
Let’s put someone in the White House who will unite all Americans, bring dignity to the most powerful office in the world, and fight every day for hardworking families in Chattanooga and across the nation. I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States.
— Andy Berke (@AndyBerke) March 2, 2020