Cindy McCain endorses Biden, Trump rallies in PA

The widow of longtime Senator John McCain, Cindy, backed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday (September 22).

She's the latest prominent Republican voice to do so.

On Twitter McCain wrote: "My husband John lived by a code: country first. We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. There's only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is @JoeBiden."

Biden, who forged a long-standing friendship with McCain despite their ideological differences, broke the news earlier during a virtual fundraiser.

He told supporters Cindy McCain decided to endorse him after The Atlantic magazine reported that Trump had called U.S. soldiers who died in combat quote "losers" and "suckers," comments that the president has denied making.

Cindy McCain had previously appeared in a video on Biden's behalf for the Democratic National Convention in August.

The news came as Trump hosted a campaign rally in Pittsburgh Tuesday night, where he mocked Biden for wearing a mask on the campaign trail.

Biden has repeatedly slammed Trump's handling of the health crisis, while Trump claims his management of it has saved lives.

"I mean honestly, what the hell did he spend all that money on the plastic surgery if he's going to cover it up with a mask."

Biden will return to the campaign trail on Wednesday with his first trip as the Democratic nominee to North Carolina, another key state.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed Trump and Biden even in the state, which Trump won in 2016.

On Tuesday, North Carolina election officials agreed to count absentee ballots received up to nine days after Election Day as long as they were postmarked by November 3, as states prepare for an expected surge in mail-in voting this year.