Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings Endorses Joe Biden for President, Snubbing Beto O'Rourke, Julian Castro

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is backing Joe Biden for president, saying the nation needs someone who will beat Donald Trump in 2020."Job No. 1 is to make sure Donald Trump is not president for four more years," Rawlings told The Dallas Morning News in an exclusive interview. "Joe Biden is the candidate I know will beat him."Biden, the former vice president, is in Dallas Wednesday for a fundraiser hosted by several prominent Democratic donors. He'll then join Rawlings for a public event related to education."Closing the gap between the haves and the have-nots is tops on his agenda," Rawlings said. "That's right up my alley."In endorsing Biden, Rawlings is snubbing former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. Rawlings endorsed O'Rourke over Republican Ted Cruz in last year's Senate race. Texas' favorite sons are hoping to scoop up the lion's share of delegates in the state's presidential primary on March 3. But Rawlings' endorsement could signal that middle-of-the road Democrats are favoring Biden, not their fellow Texans."I've met a lot of the candidates and you root for the Texans," Rawlings said. "But what Joe Biden brings is an improvement in wisdom that America needs right now," adding that he was the best choice against Trump."Joe Biden is anything but a buffoon," Rawlings said.O'Rourke, now the most popular Democrat in Texas, rolled up impressive vote totals in Dallas County, helping pull a hoard of Democrats to victory over incumbent Republicans.Biden is completing a two-day swing through Texas that included an education town hall meeting in Houston on Tuesday.Rawlings is wrapping up eight years as mayor. The runoff election to replace him, featuring state Rep. Eric Johnson and council member Scott Griggs, is June 8.The outgoing mayor said that he talked to Biden several times before making the endorsement, and his wife, Jill Biden, came to Dallas to visit the mayor's wife, Micki Rawlings."He got on the phone with me last week and we've met a couple of times," Rawlings said.  Continue reading...