MoveOn endorses Joe Biden, a sign that progressives are embracing him

The influential online liberal organization MoveOn endorsed Joe Biden for president Wednesday, a sign that progressives are starting to warm to his candidacy.

Biden won the support of 82% of MoveOn members, which counts 13 million people on its mailing list. He is the fourth presidential candidate that the organization has endorsed in its 20-year history, after Barack Obama (twice) and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary. MoveOn declined to reveal how many members voted.

“MoveOn’s millions of members are ready to mobilize together in support of Joe Biden, working to turn out voters in key states and ensure that Donald Trump is a one-term president,” Rahna Epting, MoveOn Political Action executive director, said in a statement.

“Joe Biden is a leader who listens, who is running on the most progressive platform in Democratic Party history, and whose election would create an opportunity for the big, structural changes this country needs,” Epting said.

The endorsement is key for Biden for two reasons: MoveOn can supply volunteers and other support for the fall campaign, and it shows that progressives who did not line up behind him in the primary are willing to overlook his opposition to priorities such as single-payer health care and the Green New Deal in the name of beating Trump.

Even though Biden has opened up a substantial national lead on Trump in the polls, the Democratic nominee-to-be has suffered from an enthusiasm gap. Only 27% of his supporters say they are excited about his candidacy, while roughly half of Trump’s backers feel that way about the president, according to a USA Today/Suffolk Poll released Tuesday.