Jesse Jackson endorses Bernie Sanders who backed his presidential run in 1988

Associated Press

Rev. Jesse Jackson addresses the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Annual International Convention in Chicago, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky)

• Rev. Jesse Jackson announced his endorsement for Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential campaign Sunday morning.
• "With the exception of Native Americans, African Americans are the people who are most behind socially and economically in the United States and our needs are not moderate," Jackson said in a statement. "A people far behind cannot catch up choosing the most moderate path. The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path."
• Back when he ran for president in 1988, the civil rights leader was endorsed by Sanders.
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Rev. Jesse Jackson, one of America's most prominent civil rights leaders and a former presidential candidate, endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 campaign Sunday morning.

In a statement, Jackson highlighted Sanders' progressive principles and record.

"With the exception of Native Americans, African Americans are the people who are most behind socially and economically in the United States and our needs are not moderate. A people far behind cannot catch up choosing the most moderate path. The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path. That's why I choose to endorse him today," Jackson said.

Jackson added that unlike Sanders' campaign, Biden's had not reached out to him for an endorsement.

When Sanders was the mayor of Burlington, Vt. he endorsed Jackson who for the second time was running for president in 1988.

"I am proud to tell you that in 1988, a long time ago, I was one of the few white elected officials I was mayor of the city of Burlington who endorsed Jessie Jackson, who brought him to Vermont and we won Vermont for Jessie Jackson," Sanders said in South Carolina last month at a breakfast for the National Action Network.

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