Biden, seeking support of women, wins Hillary Clinton's endorsement

NEW YORK - Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden won the endorsement on Tuesday of Hillary Clinton for the office she fell short of winning in 2016 in her bid to become the first woman elected as U.S. president.

The endorsement, at an online town hall on the effects of the coronavirus crisis on women, came at a critical moment as Biden aims to raise his profile with female voters and other key demographic groups even as the pandemic ravages the U.S. economy.

Clinton - a onetime secretary of state, U.S. senator from New York and first lady - suffered an upset defeat in the 2016 presidential election to Republican Donald Trump, despite winning the popular vote.

She also lost the 2008 Democratic presidential race to Barack Obama, whom Biden served as vice president.

Biden, who has vowed to pick a woman as his running mate this year, introduced Clinton at the town hall as the person who should be now be president.

Clinton told the former vice president: “I am thrilled to be part of your campaign to not only endorse you but to help highlight a lot of the issues that are at stake in this presidential election.”