Eric Garner’s daughter campaigns for Sanders

by Jesse Byrnes - 02/16/16 6:36 PM ET

The daughter of Eric Garner, the man whose death as a result of being placed in a chokehold by an New York City police officer two years ago added fuel to protests of police brutality, on Tuesday appeared on the campaign trail with Bernie Sanders.

Erica Garner introduced the Democratic presidential candidate at the University of South Carolina, calling him a “fearless public servant that is not afraid to stand against the establishment for the people.”

{mosads}Sanders’s campaign unveiled a 4-minute ad last week that featured Erica Garner urging voters to support Sanders while recalling her father’s death in emotional detail.

“I was able to see my dad die on national TV,” Erica Garner says in the ad as the viral images flash on the screen of an NYPD officer with his arm around her father’s neck.

Erica Garner is featured in a slimmed-down version of the ad released by the Sanders campaign this week and set to air in South Carolina and nationally starting Wednesday. The 2-minute ad is backed by six figures, according to Sanders’ campaign.

Sanders’s South Carolina state director also told CNN that Garner is canvassing on his behalf in the state.

Clinton and Sanders are battling for the support of black voters in South Carolina ahead of the Feb. 27 primary there. Black voters and women boosted Clinton in a CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday that found her with a commanding 18-point lead in the state.

Clinton on Tuesday also courted black voters, saying during a speech in New York that the U.S. needs to act on economic issues and gun violence, which she spoke of in the context of the African-American community.

The candidates are also vying for support in Nevada, which holds its caucuses a week earlier, on Feb. 20.

Sanders has outspent Clinton $878,000 to $712,000 in South Carolina, while Clinton has outspent Sanders $3.3 million to $3.2 million in Nevada, according to figures published by NBC News.

Tags 2016 Democratic primary 2016 South Carolina primary Bernie Sanders Black Lives Matter Eric Garner Eric Garner Hillary Clinton South Carolina