U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher endorsed Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, saying it has never been more clear that the country needs a change than now, as she watches how President Donald Trump handles the coronavirus outbreak.

“Our country needs and deserves a leader with the experience, empathy, and vision to meet this moment in our history,” Fletcher, D-Houston, said. “Joe Biden has shown himself to be that leader time and again — reminding us that our country is great because it is good.”

Fletcher said she didn’t endorse in the primary because she wanted to let it play out. Plus, Fletcher said even though Biden had won Texas on March 3, she needed to have more conversations with his camp to make sure he had the right policies on oil and gas — a key segment of her 7th Congressional District, which includes Houston’s Energy Corridor.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Fletcher acknowledged that political races in Houston could have been a lot more difficult with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders at the top of the ticket. She said his language on oil and gas had the potential to push away people who work in the oil and gas industry.

“I didn’t agree with him on a lot of issues and I was concerned about some of the rhetoric,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher said she didn’t feel it was right to be making political endorsements over the last 6 weeks as she was focused on tending to her district during the virus outbreak.

Fletcher is running for re-election and faces Army veteran Wesley Hunt in November. Hunt, a Republican, has been endorsed by Trump for the seat that was long held by Republicans until Fletcher defeated longtime incumbent John Culberson in 2018.