Former NAACP President and Maryland Congressman Kweisi Mfume endorsed Hillary Clinton just six days before the South Carolina primary, calling her a “time tested leader” who “understands our struggles firsthand.”
The endorsement comes as Clinton and Bernie Sanders look to attract black voters who make up nearly 30 percent of the South Carolina Democratic electorate, and will have the ability to determine the primary. Both the Vermont senator and the former secretary of state have emphasized voting rights, gun control and racial equality on the campaign trail in the past few days, but Mfume said that Clinton’s record shows the most intense commitment to civil rights issues.
“I served in Congress with Bernie Sanders and know him to be a likable guy, but I know that Hillary understands our struggles firsthand. I believe she is the candidate best suited to carry on the work and progress made on health care and common sense gun reforms … and then actually get something done,” Mfume said in a statement.
The five-term Maryland congressman added that Clinton has demonstrated her commitment to fight for minority communities in “both deed and action,” citing her work to reform healthcare, improve education and reform the criminal justice system.
Going in to the February 27th primary, Clinton currently leads Sanders 57 percent-33 percent among all voters, according to an average of polls. Mfume joins a growing group of black leaders who have endorsed Clinton, including Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.
