America’s first black attorney general is supporting Hillary Clinton for president.
Eric Holder announced Wednesday that he is backing Clinton’s bid for the Democratic nomination.
{mosads}“[Hillary Clinton] is the candidate we need in the White House [to continue] the progress of President Obama,” Holder said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
“[She] has bold plans to address police brutality [and] fight for common sense reforms to our gun laws,” he added in Charleston, S.C.
Holder argued that Clinton must become president so Republicans do not undermine Obama’s policies.
“[Republicans would] tear down our progress on civil rights, healthcare and curbing gun violence,” he said.
The AP reported that Holder is joining Clinton on the campaign trail later this week, first at a state Democratic Party dinner in South Carolina next Saturday. He will then attend the fourth Democratic presidential debate in Charleston, S.C. Sunday evening. The contest is sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus and is airing live on NBC News from the city’s Gaillard Center.
Holder’s endorsement gives Clinton a boost before South Carolina’s primary on Feb. 27, the first in the South for Democrats.
South Carolina is the only one of the first four states to vote where Democratic voters are primarily black.
Clinton has a commanding 40-point lead in polls there, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average.
Polls show rival Bernie Sanders with a chance of defeating Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, states where the electorate is primarily white. Sanders leads Clinton by over 6 points in New Hampshire and lags less than 1 point behind her in Iowa.