Received this e-mail yesterday from U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D. HI) in support of former Vice President Joe Biden’s Presidential Campaign:

The American people deserve a president who can bring our divided country together. That’s why today, I’m endorsing my friend Joe Biden for President of the United States.

Joe not only brings years of committed leadership to the presidency, but also empathy and humanity forged by his own personal experiences with tragedy and pain. Empathy and humanity sadly lacking in the current president.

At a time when the health of Americans is at risk, Joe’s fight to enact, sustain, and expand the Affordable Care Act and his leadership on the Cancer Moonshot demonstrate his commitment to health care as a right and not a privilege.

So many of us have watched in horror as Donald Trump refuses to take responsibility to keep Americans safe or provide necessary leadership during this pandemic.

Donald Trump and members of his administration have incited hatred of Asian Americans by calling the COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus” or “Kung Flu.”

These racist comments, amplified by the President’s allies on Fox News and the right-wing media, have contributed to an explosion of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in this country.

I was proud to hear Vice President Biden’s forceful condemnation of Donald Trump’s racism. It supports efforts I’ve led in Congress to combat these hate crimes, fighting alongside allies like Tammy Duckworth, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren. Joe demonstrates the principled leadership we need right now. This is the kind of humanity we need back in the Oval Office.

Joe is fighting for a more just, progressive future for our country. He knows where he came from, who he’s fighting for, and why. He knows what’s at stake in this election and just how hard we’re going to need to work. But he can’t do it alone. It’s up to each of us to get fired up, stay mobilized, and work every day for the next few months to elect Joe Biden the next President of the United States.

We’re in this together.

- Mazie