Cindy McCain plans to endorse Joe Biden

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced on Tuesday during a virtual fundraiser that Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), will endorse him.

Biden said McCain decided to make her support public after The Atlantic and other news organizations reported that President Trump called U.S. soldiers who died in combat "suckers" and "losers;" Trump has denied making these comments. Prior to McCain's death in 2018, Trump declared he was "no hero," saying of the former Vietnam prisoner of war, "I like people who weren't captured."

Biden and McCain served together in the Senate, and during August's Democratic National Convention, Cindy McCain made an appearance, discussing their friendship. She won't be the only person close to McCain to throw their support behind Biden — last month, dozens of former McCain staffers, including many who worked on his failed 2008 presidential bid, signed a letter saying they are backing Biden. Arizona is a crucial battleground state, and pundits note that her endorsement could give Biden an edge with undecided independent voters.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.