Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday endorsed former vice president Joe Biden, days after Mike Bloomberg, the candidate he originally endorsed, dropped out of the presidential primary.

In a statement, Turner called Biden “a proven and trusted leader” and “a very caring person” who can “unify our country.”

“Experience matters and for years Mr. Biden has had a front row seat in our national government, participating in issues both domestic and international,” Turner said. “He will be ready to do the job as president from day one.”

Before Bloomberg dropped out on the heels of a disappointing performance on Super Tuesday, including in Texas, Turner had played an active role in promoting his candidacy. He appeared at the launch of Bloomberg’s “Mike for Black America” initiative in Houston, and introduced the former New York City mayor at a Houston rally last week.

Biden won the Democratic presidential primary in Texas on Tuesday, finishing with about 34 percent of the vote, ahead of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 30 percent. Bloomberg received 14 percent of the vote, falling shy of the threshold needed to receive any statewide delegates.

In Harris County, Bloomberg received almost 15 percent of the vote, while Biden finished first with 38 percent.

In January, Turner appeared at a fundraiser for Biden in Spring and posted a photo on social media of the two shaking hands. He endorsed Bloomberg about a month later.

jasper.scherer@chron.com