Clinton endorsed by 2 ex-SC governors

Hillary Rodham Clinton is getting endorsements from two former Democratic S.C. governors, including one who helped lead President Barack Obama’s first campaign.

The moves are part of Clinton’s effort to build her organization in South Carolina and Iowa, two early-voting states where Obama defeated her in 2008.

Jim Hodges, S.C. governor from 1999 to 2003, said he formally endorse Clinton on Wednesday in Columbia.

“We were on the other side, but I developed a hearty respect for Hillary Clinton both as campaigner and a public servant,” said Hodges, who was national co-chairman for Obama’s 2008 campaign.

Separately, Clinton’s campaign announced an endorsement from Dick Riley, who was secretary of education during President Bill Clinton’s administration after serving as governor from 1979 to 1987.

Days ago at the Iowa State Fair, Clinton garnered the formal backing of former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.

The high-profile endorsements demonstrate Clinton’s strengths at a time when Vice President Joe Biden, who has several S.C. loyalists, is considering whether to seek the 2016 nomination.

The endorsements also highlight that she is anchored in the Democratic Party’s old guard at the same time she faces a challenge from independent U.S. Sen. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Sanders, who is running to Clinton’s left by assailing the nation’s political and economic establishment, makes his first extended S.C. campaign trip this weekend.

Hodges acknowledged Clinton must balance her establishment relationships with an appeal to disaffected voters.

“People are hurting,” Hodges said. “Campaigns on the right and the left have had some appeal, but, at the end of the day, I think that a campaign like Secretary Clinton’s that’s focused on the problems people face is a winning campaign.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Clinton endorsed by 2 ex-SC governors."