County leaders across Western Pennsylvania endorse Joe Biden

A coalition of 12 Democratic county leaders from across Western Pennsylvania came forward Monday to endorse Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race.

The group includes Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli, along with 10 Democratic commissioners from Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence and Washington counties.

The group endorsement came a few hours after U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota dropped out of the race, with plans to back Biden, and on the eve of Super Tuesday. The removal of Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Ind., leaves Biden as the sole moderate candidate in the field. Buttigieg withdrew from the race Sunday.

Fitzgerald said Biden would best represent the interests of Democrats in the region.

“We know we need to focus relentlessly on creating good jobs, growing our economy, investing in our students and our workers,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “We know that Joe Biden is the candidate who gets this and can win in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and we’re all going to be working hard to make him the next president of the United States.”

In Westmoreland County, Commissioner Gina Cerilli said her support for Biden stems from his position as a moderate Democrat.

“Vice President Biden believes that Unions are the backbone of the working middle class in our country,” Cerilli said in a statement. “I will always vote and support our working middle class. We need a moderate candidate that can attract voters regardless if they are Democrat, Republican, or Independent.”

Philip Harold, a political science professor and associate dean at Robert Morris University, said the endorsement is a significant move by the local officials.

“Biden’s whole argument throughout the primaries was electability and that really comes back to, ‘Hey, I can win Pennsylvania,’ ” Harold said.

He said much of Biden’s campaign is staked on the ability to beat President Trump.

Biden has differed from more progressive candidates like U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on topics critical to Pennsylvania voters — namely, the future of fracking. And, as the state played a crucial role in Trump’s 2016 victory, Harold said the input of local politicians will become important to the swing state and could influence undecided voters.

“This is the ball rolling down the hill,” Harold said. “It’s the idea that this is what the party and the voters have already decided. It’s a bandwagon effect.”

The full list of officials in the group endorsement include:

• Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald
• Armstrong County Commissioner Pat Fabian
• Beaver County Commissioner Tony Amadio
• Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel
• Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky
• Cambria County Commissioner B.J. Smith
• Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites
• Greene County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman
• Indiana County Commissioner Sherene Hess
• Lawrence County Commissioner Loretta Spielvogel
• Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi
• Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli