Tom Steyer, a former candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, has formally endorsed Joe Biden.
Steyer’s endorsement came Thursday. Politico noted the billionaire Democrat urged the former vice president to improve his standing with young voters.
The Biden campaign is “going to have to show, in terms of policy, that Joe Biden is more progressive than people understand him to be,” Steyer said.
The former candidate said he intends to “personally jump in” and connect with the students and climate change activists who signed up to vote through NextGen America, the nonprofit political advocacy group he founded.
Steyer's endorsement came a day after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., ended his presidential bid, making Biden the presumptive nominee for the Democrats. Sanders called Biden a “very decent man” but didn’t offer an explicit endorsement.
Politico noted Steyer acknowledged concerns about whether Sanders' supporters will turn out in large numbers to back Biden.
“They have to be excited about the candidate — and I think that is something that is going to happen but the Biden campaign is going to have to reach out," he said.
“They’re going to have to reach out on climate — and show Joe Biden understands how important stopping climate change is, understands environmental justice at its roots, which he does.”