Clinton gets Sanders endorsement in show of party unity

Thursday, 14 July 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Democrat Bernie Sanders endorsed former rival Hillary Clinton for president in a display of party unity on Tuesday, describing her as the best candidate to fix the United States’ problems and beat Republican Donald Trump in the November 8 election.

With Clinton nodding in agreement beside him, Sanders put aside their bitter campaign for the Democratic nomination and said she would take up the fight to ease economic inequality, make college more affordable and expand healthcare coverage for all Americans.

“This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face, and there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that,” he told a raucous crowd in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that included plenty of vocal Sanders supporters.

“I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States,” the US senator from Vermont said.

His endorsement, five weeks after Clinton became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, brought the most prominent holdout in the party’s liberal wing into her camp. Sanders threw Clinton his support less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she is to be formally nominated.

“I can’t help but reflect on how much more enjoyable this election will be now that we are on the same side,” Clinton said of Sanders. “Thank you, Bernie, for your endorsement, but more than that, thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice.”