Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley became the first senator to endorse Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign Wednesday.
In a New York Times op-ed, Merkley explained that he has chosen his Senate colleague over Hillary Clinton because Sanders “is boldly and fiercely addressing the biggest challenges facing our country.”
“It is time to recommit ourselves to that vision of a country that measures our nation’s success not at the boardroom table, but at kitchen tables across America,” Merkley wrote. “Bernie Sanders stands for that America, and so I stand with Bernie Sanders for president.”
According to Merkley, Sanders’ opposition to trade deals, advocacy to move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and his leadership against big campaign donors and predatory lenders are some of the reasons to back his presidential bid.
“It has been noted that Bernie has an uphill battle ahead of him to win the Democratic nomination. But his leadership on these issues and his willingness to fearlessly stand up to the powers that be have galvanized a grass-roots movement,” Merkley explained. “People know that we don’t just need better policies, we need a wholesale rethinking of how our economy and our politics work, and for whom they work.”
Merkley was elected to the Senate in 2008 after serving as a five-term member of the Oregon House of Representatives.
