Bernie Sanders backs Biden's re-election bid

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Saturday said he will do "all that I can to see that President Biden is re-elected."

In an op-ed published in the New York Times, Sanders called Biden "the most effective president in the modern history." Sanders wrote Biden "is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump — a demagogue and pathological liar."

Sanders acknowledge he and Biden disagree on many issues, but added, "Supporters of Mr. Biden can speak proudly about a good and decent Democratic president with a record of real accomplishment.

Biden is facing increasing calls within Democratic Party ranks for him to drop his re-election bid following his performance at the June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. The GOP nominating convention begins Monday.

Sanders: 'Time for Democrats to stop the bickering'

"Yes. I know: Mr. Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump," Sander wrote. "But this I also know: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest. It does not begin or end with a 90-minute debate."

Sanders went on to write, "Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate. And with an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking."

"For the sake of our kids and future generations, he must win," Sanders wrote.

Former Gov. Madeline Kunin and Sen. Peter Welch are among the leaders within the Vermont Democratic Party who have called for Biden to step aside. Former Gov. Howard Dean, who served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in an interview with National Public Radio, 'I would tell Biden to hang in there.'

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Bernie Sanders: 'Will do all that I can' to see Biden re-elected