Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden Joe BidenFormer Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida MORE remembered the late Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainCrenshaw looms large as Democrats look to flip Texas House seat Analysis: Biden victory, Democratic sweep would bring biggest boost to economy The Memo: Trump's strengths complicate election picture MORE on the one-year anniversary of Arizona Republican's death, calling him a “genuine American hero” who lived by a code “from another era.”

“One year ago, we lost a political giant, and a genuine American hero—my friend, my frequent opponent—John McCain. We still feel keenly his loss in our public life,” the former vice president said in a statement on Sunday.

“John lived by a code that sometimes seemed to be from another era, where honor, courage, character and integrity mattered. But in truth, John’s code was ageless—an American code, grounded in decency and basic fairness and an intolerance for the abuse of power. A code neither selfish, nor self-serving.” ADVERTISEMENT

Biden also encouraged Americans to “engage in acts of civility,” in honor of McCain.

It’s the same plea McCain’s family, including his wife, Cindy McCain, have made, asking Americans to reach out to people they often disagree with in honor of the late senator.

“John believed so deeply and so passionately in the core values of our nation, that he made them seem more real, and he made it easier for the rest of us to believe in them too. He made us proud of ourselves,” Biden said.

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Despite Biden’s political differences with McCain, he spoke at the senator’s funeral. He started his eulogy saying, “My name is Joe Biden. I’m a Democrat. And I loved John McCain.”

McCain died on Aug. 25, 2018, just ahead of his 82nd birthday after suffering from brain cancer.

Biden earlier this month vowed to cooperate with Republicans should he be elected president, saying he successfully worked across the aisle as vice president.

“There’s an awful lot of really good Republicans out there,” he said at a Massachusetts fundraiser. “I get in trouble for saying that with Democrats, but the truth of the matter is, every time we ever got in trouble with our administration, remember who got sent up to Capitol Hill to fix it? Me. Because they know I respect the other team.”

Similar comments have infuriated progressive activists searching for a candidate who can effectively fight against President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE and the GOP’s agenda.