Jesse Jackson endorsed Bernie Sanders as the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate seeks to put cracks in rival Joe Biden’s firewall of African American support.
Jackson, who is slated to campaign with Sanders later Sunday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said hours earlier that the Vermont senator’s policy proposals give black Americans a better opportunity to advance socially and economically.
“Our needs are not moderate. A people far behind cannot catch up choosing the most moderate path. The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path. That’s why I choose to endorse him today,” he said in a statement.
Jackson added that Biden’s campaign had not asked for his support, while Sanders’s campaign did.
The endorsement returns a decades-old favor. Sanders backed Jackson during his 1988 presidential bid when Biden was among his Democratic rivals. Biden dropped out before the primaries.
On Saturday, Sanders campaigned in Flint, Michigan, to make his case to black voters, who have largely backed the former vice president. The event was mostly attended by white supporters, however, according to reports.
Shortly before the Sanders campaign announced Jackson’s endorsement, former 2020 candidate California Sen. Kamala Harris said Biden is the best candidate to beat President Trump.
