Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won an endorsement Thursday from former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, one of the candidates she defeated in the primaries.
In a statement, O’Malley applauded Clinton for becoming the party’s presumptive nominee on Tuesday while calling on Democrats to “unite” as one against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. He also praised Sen. Bernie Sanders for “waging an exciting campaign.”
“Congratulations to Secretary Clinton for winning a long and hard-fought nomination process, and also to Sen. Sanders for waging an exciting campaign focused on important progressive issues about which so many of us care so deeply,” O’Malley said. “The voters have spoken, it is time now to unite our party.”
“For the future of the country we carry in our hearts, I am committing my energies to the election of Secretary Clinton as the next president of the United States. Democrats, independents and Republicans alike must come together to confront the fascist threat to our democracy presented by Donald Trump.
“The stakes in this election could not be higher, and the choice is clear,” O’Malley said. “I look forward to campaigning for Secretary Clinton and urge all of my friends and supporters to do the same. Every vote counts, and every American is needed in the important struggle ahead.”
O’Malley announced his endorsement not long after Clinton’s campaign announced that President Obama has endorsed her campaign. Obama did so almost immediately after meeting with Sanders at the White House.
The former Maryland governor ended his White House bid after the Iowa caucuses, in which he did not cross the one percent mark.
