In a show of Democratic Party unity, Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign on Tuesday.
Clinton and Sanders were both present at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
“Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process, and I congratulate her for that. She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States,” Sanders said.
Last month Clinton became the first woman in American history to secure enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. Since then, people wondered if Sanders would back Clinton and when he would officially drop out of the race. Today marks an effort in party unity as Sanders’ support of his formal rival is meant to persuade his supporters to maintain their support within the Democratic party, helping defeat Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
Today’s endorsement is a result of conversations between Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, and Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ top aide. Sanders and Clinton’s June meeting in Washington, D.C. began negotiations which were continued by Mook and Weaver.
Despite Sanders’ support of Clinton, many of his supporters maintain their anti-Clinton stances. Aware of this, Donald Trump made a grab for Sanders supporters disappointed with his endorsement of Clinton. Although he endorsed Clinton, in a portion of his statement, Sanders reminded everyone how far he had come in the election.
“Let me begin by thanking the 13 million Americans who voted for me during the Democratic primaries. Our campaign won the primaries and caucuses in 22 states, and when the roll call at the Democratic National Convention is announced, it will show that we won almost 1,900 delegates.”
With Sanders’ endorsement, Clinton is free to be named her party’s presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention at the end of July.
