Caroline Kennedy endorses Joe Biden: 'This election is about winning'

Former US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, daughter of slain US President John F Kennedy, issued a full-throated endorsement of former Vice-President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Writing in the Boston Globe, Kennedy began her endorsement by reminding readers of her highly-influential primary season support of President Barack Obama in 2008 over Hillary Clinton. "We believed America was ready for a new generation of leadership, for a president who would inspire us, as my father did, to believe in the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things, and the nobility of public service," Kennedy wrote.

She then shifted her argument to the 2020 presidential race and the importance of defeating Trump.

Trump has done immense damage to our institutions, exploited our differences, and shredded our credibility around the world. I am excited by the Democratic candidates and the ideas they have put forward. But this year, it’s not just policy proposals that are on the ballot. Our fundamental values are at stake as never before in my lifetime.

America’s place in the world and the society our children inherit will be determined by the character of the leader we choose. We need a president who can bring people together, who knows how to get things done at home and abroad, whose word we can count on, and who can nurture the next generation of leaders. We need Joe Biden.

Kennedy then stressed Biden's experience in foreign relations, as a valuable partner to Obama on several of the administration's most important undertakings and the former VP's electability.

We need a nominee who can compete in every state, who can bring wandering Democrats and independents back to the fold, and even attract some Republicans. Biden at the top of the ticket is our best bet to win the White House, keep the gains we made in the House, and put the Senate in play.

You can read Caroline Kennedy's entire editorial here.