Joe Biden endorsed Rep. Ayanna Pressley this week, days ahead of her first re-election bid for the 7th District seat that she won in an upset victory over former Congressman Michael Capuano in 2018.

In a statement shared with the Reporter, Biden said: “Ayanna Pressley is a bold and committed advocate for the people of the Massachusetts’ 7th District. Since she was elected to Congress, Ayanna has worked to advance racial, economic, education, housing, transit, and environmental justice. As we address the crises our nation faces, we will need leaders like Ayanna, who will organize, legislate, and fight tirelessly for the people she represents.” 

Pressley is unchallenged on the general election ballot. But she said the endorsement signals the beginning of a strong partnership to advance progressive policies if Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris are elected next week. Pressley initially supported Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy, but backed Biden soon after Warren joined fellow candidates in endorsing the former vice-president.

“I consider [Biden] to be a dedicated and compassionate public servant and I’m doing everything I can in these last seven or eight days to ensure that he is elected,” said Pressley, who has been touring early voting sites in her in recent days.

Pressley says she’s “feeling encouraged.”

“The turnout was unprecedented in the primary, people are getting the message that election day is right now,” she told the Reporter on Tuesday. “I’ve been thanking people for voting and clearly understanding exactly what is at stake in this election.  Every election has consequences and we have certainly seen and experienced that acutely in the last few years, but in some elections the consequences are greater and that is certainly true in this one.” 

The contrast, Pressley said, is “very clear.”

“We have an administration now that has contempt for the American people, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will have committed partners who have compassion for the American people and certainly who will not be cavalier about human life,” she said.

In addition to Biden, Pressley has also notched endorsements from Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, as well as the Working Families Party, Move On, the Massachusetts SEIU State Council, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and Our Revolution, among many others.