Cuomo Says Biden Offers ‘Best Case’ for Democrats to Beat Trump

A day after focusing on national themes in an inauguration speech, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said former Vice President Joe Biden would be the Democratic Party’s most credible candidate in the 2020 race for the White House.
“Of all the names that are out there, I think Joe Biden has the best case,” Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat starting his third term, said Wednesday during a radio interview. “I think Joe Biden has the best case because he brings the most of the secret ingredient you need to win for a Democrat, which is credibility.”
Mr. Biden appeared with Democratic candidates around the country in last year’s election cycle, and has said that he is still discussing a presidential bid with his family. Mr. Cuomo has said he would not run for president in 2020.
In a Tuesday speech, though, the governor called for unity and faulted President Trump’s administration for sowing division. Mr. Cuomo said again Tuesday that accomplishment and experience are more important than rhetoric for politicians, a quality he ascribes to both himself and Mr. Biden.
The two men have a longstanding relationship. Mr. Biden spoke in May at the New York State Democratic Committee convention as it nominated Mr. Cuomo over Cynthia Nixon for the governorship. In 2015, Mr. Biden visited New York to offer his condolences to Mr. Cuomo as he mourned his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. That same year, Mr. Cuomo traveled to Delaware to pay his respects after the death of Beau Biden, the former vice president’s son.
As Democrats split between Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) as their 2016 presidential nominee, Mr. Cuomo in 2015 said that a late entry into the race by Mr. Biden would be a good thing. Mr. Cuomo had already endorsed Mrs. Clinton by then.
Wednesday’s statement came in response to a question about U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), who created a presidential exploratory committee on Monday. Mr. Cuomo didn’t address her likely impending campaign other than to say, “I think there’s going to be a big field.”