Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield endorsed Hillary Clinton on Thursday, claiming that choosing her over Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley “was not a hard decision.”
“Black support for her is far stronger than for any other candidate,” the North Carolina Democrat said of Clinton, citing that four out of five black adults have a favorable opinion of her. “And it’s well deserved: In her commitment to reforming our criminal justice system, expanding voting rights, creating jobs and economic opportunities and enhancing workplace diversity, Clinton’s goals align closely with those of the Congressional Black Caucus and the black community as a whole.”
Throughout her political career Clinton has fought for racial justice, Butterfield argued, from her time with the Children’s Defense Fund to her work as a senator to rehabilitate troubled minors. On the campaign trail, Clinton has called for an end to racial profiling, criminal justice reform and protecting equal voting rights. She has also called for shortening minimum sentences for drug-related offenses and eliminating the legal distinction between crack and cocaine.
Clinton lost the 2008 Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in large part because African-Americans voted heavily against her, but this time minority Democrats have strongly preferred her to her opponents.
