WASHINGTON – Laredo Rep. Henry Cuellar on Friday endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president, underscoring how the presumptive Democratic nominee continues to coalesce party support heading into the general election.

Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, said he was confident Biden is “that leader we need.”

“Joe has a track record tailor-made for the crisis we face,” Cuellar said in a news release sent out by Biden’s campaign. “He’s experienced tragedy. He’s presided over economic recovery. He knows grief. And he knows the White House.”

Cuellar’s support for Biden is no surprise – and not just because the former vice president is the only Democratic candidate left in the race.

Two of the more liberal White House contenders – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren – had endorsed Cuellar’s primary challenger, Jessica Cisneros, a progressive attorney whom the incumbent defeated in a closer-than-expected contest.

Plus, Biden’s relatively moderate stances jibes more with Cuellar’s political ideology.

Biden now counts formal endorsements from nine of the 13 Texas Democrats in Congress. Missing from that list are Reps. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, Lloyd Doggett of Austin, Lizzie Fletcher of Houston and Al Green of Houston.