Three former presidential candidates joined Democrats from across North Texas in Dallas Monday night to endorse Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.
Pete Buttigieg endorsed Biden in a speech just before 7 p.m., then at a campaign rally at Gilley's in Dallas, Amy Klobuchar announced her support for the former vice president and Beto O'Rourke closed the rally by telling the crowd he would cast his vote for Biden.
"I am delighted to endorse and support Joe Biden for president," Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg announced he would suspend his campaign Sunday night in South Bend, Indiana, just hours after he was scheduled to hold a rally of his own in Dallas. Klobuchar revealed she would suspend her campaign in a speech earlier Monday.
"If you feel tired of the noise and the nonsense in our politics, and if you are tired of the extremes, you have a home with me and I think you know you have a home with Joe Biden," Klobuchar said just before she announced her endorsement.
"I cannot think of a better way to end my campaign than joining his," she said.
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O'Rourke closed the rally, walking on the stage to loud cheers and speaking in the style that grew familiar to Texans during the 2018 U.S. Senate race.
"We need somebody who can beat Donald Trump," O'Rourke said. "The man in the White House today poses an existential threat to this country, to our democracy, to free and fair elections. And we need somebody who can beat him and in Joe Biden we have that man."
Biden focused his message on voters Tuesday.
"Just a few days ago the press and the pundits declared this campaign dead, but South Carolina had something to say about it," he said. "And tomorrow Texas and Minnesota and the rest of the Super Tuesday states -- they're going to have a lot to say about it."
Texas Reps. Rafael Anchia (D-Dist. 103) and Victoria Neave (D-Dist. 107) were the first two speakers to take the stage at Gilley's, followed by U.S. Reps. Colin Allred (D-TX 32nd District), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX 30th District) and Marc Veasey (D-TX 33rd District).
People started to line up outside the venue at about 2:30 p.m. Monday to see Biden, who won South Carolina by a wide margin Saturday. Thousands packed inside the venue which holds about 3,800.
A Buttigieg supporter in line for the event said she thought the former mayor of South Bend did the right thing by suspending his campaign.
"We're very disappointed," Collen Carrico said. "We so wanted him to be the next president, we think he's fantastic, but we really feel its what the Democrats need to pull forward."
Texas has 228 delegates at stake Tuesday, the second-highest total among the 14 states up for grabs, trailing California's 415.
