Richard Bryan, ex-senator and Nevada governor, backs Biden

By Michelle L. Price The Associated Press

5 years ago

Former U.S. Senator and Nevada Gov. Richard Bryan speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 75 ... — Former U.S. Senator and Nevada Gov. Richard Bryan speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing at the Elks Lodge at 4100 W. Charleston Blvd. in Las Vegas on Thursday, June 6, 2019. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to local residents during a bus tour stop, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in Mason City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Richard Bryan, a former U.S. senator and Nevada governor, said Wednesday that he’s endorsing Joe Biden for president in 2020, giving the former vice president the backing of one of the biggest names in the state’s Democratic circles.

Bryan told The Associated Press in an interview that Biden brings “a thoughtful, steady hand” and is the Democratic Party’s best chance to defeat President Donald Trump.

“No one equals him in terms of experience. But I think his approach, we need somebody that can bring the country back together,” he said.

Bryan, who was in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2001, said he got to know Biden well while serving with him in Washington when Biden was a senator from Delaware. The former governor said Biden offers the best opportunity to bridge divides and work across the aisle.

Bryan’s decision to endorse in the primary is a contrast from Nevada’s two current Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, and former longtime senator Harry Reid. All three have said they don’t plan to endorse before Nevada’s February caucuses.