Retired Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin has endorsed Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton ahead of her visit to the Iowa State Fair this weekend.
“As Iowans and as a nation we fought back from a terrible recession, but we are making progress. Now it’s time for a president who can create a stronger future,” Harkin wrote in the Des Moines Register on Friday.
“As Democrats, we’re fortunate to have a slate of candidates that are all fine individuals, but we need a fighter who has a record of getting things done and the vision for the future that will build on the progress we’ve made. For my wife, Ruth and I, that candidate is Hillary Clinton,” Harkin, arguably one of the most successful Democrats in Iowa’s history, added.
His endorsement — a highly coveted one — comes amid a Bernie Sanders surge. A CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday found 54 percent of likely Democratic Iowa caucus-goers say they’ve yet to settle firmly on a presidential candidate.
Harkin praised Clinton for “championing the needs of children” (he is the author of the American with Disabilities Act), as well as her policies toward heath, education and jobs.
Clinton will be in the Hawkeye State on Friday and Saturday to campaign. She finished third there during her 2008 White House bid, when Harkin endorsed Barack Obama over her.
