Bernie Sanders secures new SC endorsement after Kamala Harris drops out
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders racked up an endorsement this week that was formerly held by fellow senator Kamala Harris.
Georgetown Mayor Brendon Barber, the first African American leader of the coastal S.C. city, endorsed Sanders after Harris dropped out of the race earlier this month.
“Whether he’s talking about investing $2.5 trillion in affordable housing or making a real investment in rural communities to ensure every American not only has a job, but earns a living wage, Sen. Bernie Sanders is the only candidate speaking directly and consistently to the issues families in Georgetown face every day,” Barber said, according to a statement from the Sanders campaign.
Barber initially endorsed Harris in July after she finished a sweeping campaign run through the Pee Dee.
The Sanders campaign said the endorsement reflected Sanders’ rising support in South Carolina.
“Mayor Barber is a trailblazer and a true leader. His endorsement is news all by itself and we’re very excited,” Sanders’ state director Jessica Bright said in the statement.
Bright added that the endorsement comes as a recent poll showed Sanders “surging” in South Carolina.
That poll, conducted by Change Research in an online survey on behalf of the (Charleston) Post and Courier, had Sanders in second place with 20% support among likely Democratic voters, trailing former vice president Joe Biden by just 7 points.
Biden leads the state Democratic presidential primary by almost 19 points, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls in the contest.
