Pete Buttigieg endorses Joe Biden in US presidential race

Former mayor of South Bend, Democrat Pete Buttigieg endorsed Joe Biden for the presidency on Monday night, telling a crowd in Dallas that the former Vice President is the right candidate to "bring back dignity to the White House."

"When I ran for president we made it clear that the whole idea was about rallying the country together to defeat Donald Trump and to win the era for the values that we share," Buttigieg said at a campaign stop.

"And that was always a goal that was much bigger than me becoming president and it is in the name of that very same goal that I am delighted to endorse and support Joe Biden for President," CNN quoted him as saying.

Buttigieg dropped out of the Democratic presidential bid on Sunday following Joe Biden's victory in the South Carolina primary. Buttigieg officially launched his campaign in April with an event in his hometown South Bend, Indiana.

He was the first gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates for a major party's nomination.

Meanwhile, Buttigieg's endorsement is a boon for the former vice president and comes at the same time when another Democrat candidate and Senator Amy Klobuchar has ended her election campaign and backed Biden.

The endorsements represent a coalescing of the more moderate wing of the Democratic Party around Biden and a rejection of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who -- after strong showings in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada -- represents the most significant challenge for Biden.

Buttigieg spoke to Biden over the phone after delivering his concession speech, two people familiar with the conversation said. Biden congratulated Buttigieg on his campaign and asked for his endorsement. However, Buttigieg did not make an immediate decision, telling advisers after the call that he wanted to think about it overnight.

Obama praised Buttigieg on his campaign and his decision to leave the race, a source told CNN, noting how difficult it is to disappoint supporters and admirers. Former American Barack Obama also told Buttigieg he ran a historic campaign to be proud of.