Oregon’s Democratic governor on Wednesday announced her support for presidential candidate Joe Biden, hours after rival Bernie Sanders announced he would end his run for the White House.

Sanders’ decision means the former vice president is now the only Democrat running to unseat President Donald Trump. That made throwing her support to Biden an easy choice for Brown, who had not previously endorsed any 2020 presidential candidates.

Governors across the nation are working together to get the resources to fight the coronavirus, and “we are also looking to the president to do the same,” Brown said in a statement emailed out by the Biden campaign.

“I believe that Joe Biden will be a president who on Day One will be able to start delivering for the American people," Brown said. She cited Biden’s work helping to pass Obamacare and the federal stimulus package during the Great Recession and concluded, "We need his kind of humble and steadfast leadership to unite and heal our country in this challenging time.”

-- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud

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