Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday endorsed Joe Neguse, one of two Democrats running in a primary for the open 2nd Congressional District seat, calling the former University of Colorado regent and son of Eritrean immigrants “the embodiment of the American Dream.”

“We need to send him to Washington to fight for working-class families and to protect the ideals that this nation was founded on,” Biden said in a statement.

Neguse said winning Biden’s backing was a tremendous honor and called the Democrat “an American icon with a tremendous record of service to this country.”

Biden, a six-term senator from Delaware who served two terms as vice president, has been making noise about a possible presidential run in 2020. Another possible Democratic candidate for president, California Sen. Kamala Harris, endorsed Neguse last month.

Neguse, an attorney and former director of the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies, is facing Mark Williams, an Air Force veteran and former chair of the Boulder County Democrats, in the June 26 primary.

If elected, Neguse would be the first African-American member of Congress from Colorado and, at 33, would be among the youngest federal lawmakers.

Political newcomer Peter Yu is the Republican nominee for the heavily Democratic seat, which covers Boulder and Larimer counties, as well as counties and portions of counties along Interstate 70 west to Vail. Libertarian Roger Barris and unaffiliated candidate Nick Thomas are also running.

The five-term Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, is a leading candidate for governor.