The Biden campaign later forwarded a statement from Veasey expanding on that message.

“At a time when Washington is ripping our nation apart, we need a good man and steady hand to not only defeat Donald Trump, but to stitch us back together and stand up for working families nationwide,” Veasey said in the statement. “That’s why I’m supporting Joe Biden for President.”

Veasey is the ninth member of the influential Congressional Black Caucus to back Biden, whose campaign co-chair is former CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond of Louisiana. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, however, leads the Democratic primary field in CBC endorsements, with 10 of its 55 members supporting her White House bid. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey has two endorsements from the group, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro has one, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts earned her first on Wednesday with freshman Rep. Ayanna Pressley breaking from the so-called squad to support her home-state senator.

Veasey said he heard from Castro — the fourth-term lawmaker served with Castro’s twin brother, Joaquin, in the Texas Legislature and now Congress — and Harris, adding that he has “much respect for both of them.”

Castro told his New Hampshire and South Carolina staffs on Monday that their last day with the campaign would be next week as it focuses on Iowa, Nevada and Texas. Harris, meanwhile, is going all in on Iowa, redeploying staffers to the first-in-the-nation caucus state and laying off dozens of aides at her Baltimore headquarters.

Veasey said he’s in lockstep with his constituents, telling POLITICO that “there’s no question” he agrees that Biden is the best pick to challenge Trump in the general election.

“Vice President Biden is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump, particularly in those states that we need to win back,” he said.

According to a New York Times/Siena College poll released this week, Biden fares better against Trump than Warren or Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in key battleground states. While Trump has a 2-point advantage over Biden in North Carolina, the poll shows, the two run even in Michigan, and Biden narrowly leads in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida and has a 5-point margin over Trump in Arizona.