Biden Campaign Press Release - Former NASA Administrator and Astronaut Major General Charles Bolden Endorses Joe Biden for President

Today, former NASA administrator and astronaut Major General Charles Bolden released the following statement endorsing Joe Biden for President of the United States:

"I am overjoyed today to second the endorsement of Vice President Joe Biden by our South Carolina Elder Statesman Congressman James Clyburn. After being part of the Obama-Biden administration— an administration that demonstrated the values that make this country strong and great, I have watched the current administration do just the opposite. Instead of fighting for working families and the middle class, Americans have been brought back into the dark ages, where racism, bigotry, and intolerance have seeped into our rhetoric and daily lives like poison.

"At this moment, this country needs someone in the White House that has character and vision, but the experience and know-how to course correct the damage that Trump has inflicted on this nation here at home and abroad. We also need a candidate heading the ticket who can bring along down ballot candidates like Senate candidate Jamie Harrison here in South Carolina. I believe Joe Biden is the only Presidential candidate with the executive and legislative experience to lead a strong Democratic ticket extending into our state and local elections and to step into the oval office from Day one and begin the large undertaking of cleaning up Trump's mess and moving this nation forward. As a former astronaut and administrator of NASA, I can safely say the sky is the limit for Joe Biden and what he can help this nation accomplish."

Major General Charles Bolden Jr., a native South Carolinian, served as the 12th Administrator and the first African American Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Previous to serving in the Obama-Biden administration, Bolden had a 34 year career with the Marine Corps which included 14 years as a member of NASA's Astronaut office. During his time as an astronaut he led two missions and piloted two others including the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope, the historic first U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, Space Shuttle Columbia, and Space Shuttle Atlantis— resulting in 680 hours logged in space. Bolden's father, Charles Bolden Sr. was a well-known high school football coach of C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia, South Carolina. C.A. Johnson High School was not only Major General Bolden's alma mater, but was only one of two all-black schools in Columbia, South Carolina at the time. In honor of his father's legacy, C.A. Johnson High School named their football stadium after Charles Bolden Sr.

Following House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn's endorsement yesterday, Bolden's endorsement builds on the strength and momentum that Vice President Biden has garnered in the African American community and South Carolina.

Biden for President has previously announced more than 1,400 endorsements from national, state, and local leaders, including current and former U.S. senators and representatives, governors, state elected officials, community leaders, and national security professionals.