Jim Clyburn Set To Endorse Hillary Clinton

U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn of SC, the No. 3 Democrat in the House and a prominent African-American leader, will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Friday, NBC News reported on Thursday.

Clyburn’s is one of the most coveted Democratic endorsements in SC, where Clinton is now polling better than Bernie Sanders. The state’s heavy African-American population has helped Clinton build a massive lead there, and a big win could slow Sanders’ momentum.

One of South Carolina’s most influential lawmakers is putting his support behind Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton will not be in attendance at the event.

Clyburn, considered the kingmaker of Democratic politics in the state, had insisted until recently that he would remain neutral in the primary race with Clinton and Vermont Sen. She is also the favorite of African-American voters, a recent poll shows.

Clyburn joins other prominent S.C. Democrats in endorsing Clinton.

In his 12th term, Clyburn represents a congressional district that stretches from Columbia to Charleston and straddles Interstate 95 – dubbed the “Corridor of Shame” for its once-flourishing agricultural communities, now struggling from years of persistently high poverty. With many Southern states up next in the primary calendar, Clinton’s campaign is continuing to bank on a strong showing in those states with large black constituencies to slow Sanders’s surge.

“That was certainly my intention”, he told the paper about staying neutral. “Not having Clyburn would potentially raise some questions”.