According to a Biden campaign press statement, the 10 Mississippi legislators are part of a group that includes 59 African American lawmakers from all over the country who supported Biden on Thursday. Mississippi has the highest number of endorsements. “I cannot think of any reason not to support his candidature,” stated Sen. Angela Turner Ford, D-West Point and chairwoman the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus. “During his time as vice president, I felt he helped President Obama in a way that I could be proud. “I’d like to see this leadership continue.” Turner-Ford joined Sens. John Horhn, Barbara Blackmon and Sollie Norwood joined Turner-Ford in endorsing Biden on Thursday. Biden has commanded two polls about the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries in the state. He garnered 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voter in a Millsaps College/Chism Strategies June poll and 47 percent from NBC News/SurveyMonkey July poll. Biden, a former vice president, faced criticism from Democrats and African Americans throughout the country when he mentioned his relationship with Jim Eastland of Mississippi, a segregationist U.S. Senator, as proof of his ability to build consensus. Biden spoke of Eastland during a June fundraiser in New York. “We got it done. We did not agree on anything. We did what we had to. It was done. Today, however, you can see the other side and realize that you are the enemy. The enemy is not the opposition. We don’t talk with each other anymore.” Two days after Biden’s remarks about Eastland, the Millsaps/Chism Strategies poll showed that 50 percent of likely Democratic primary candidates supported Biden. Biden will be facing nine Democratic primary candidates on Thursday night’s ABC Democratic Debate.