Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a video recorded for the Democratic National Convention Tuesday.
Powell, who served in George W. Bush’s administration, is among several Republicans who have crossed the political line to support Biden. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and other top Republicans spoke Monday night, making the case that Biden is the best candidate to win over moderate Republicans.
“The values I learned growing up in the South Bronx and serving in uniform were the same values that Joe Biden’s parents instilled in him in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I support Joe Biden for the presidency of the United States because those values still define him, and we need to restore those values to the White House,” Powell said in a video released by the Democratic National Convention Committee ahead of the second night of convention programming.
“Our country needs a commander in chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family. For Joe Biden, that doesn’t need teaching. It comes from the experience he shares with millions of military families sending his beloved son off to war and praying to God he would come home safe,” Powell said.
Powell has endorsed Democrats in each of the last three elections. In fact, the last time Powell supported a Republican was George W. Bush, who Powell worked under as the Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005; he was the first African American to hold that job.
Powell told CNN’s Jake Tapper in June that he would be voting for Biden, saying, “I certainly cannot in any way support President Trump this year.”
Powell added he is “very close to Joe Biden on a social matter and on a political matter,” and said, “I worked with him for 35, 40 years, and he is now the candidate and I will be voting for him.”
The Democratic National Convention Committee also previewed a video Tuesday detailing what was described as an “unlikely friendship” between Biden and another Republican—the late Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
The video was developed with the help of McCain’s wife Cindy, who tweeted that her husband and Biden had a 30+ year friendship that dated back to before they served in the Senate together.