Hillary Clinton’s quest for favor among Black voters, just upped the ante with support from former attorney general, Eric Holder. Before his April 2015 exit, Holder served as President Barack Obama’s key law enforcement appointee bringing change to civil rights as head of the Department of Justice.
Holder also served as President Bill Clinton’s deputy attorney general, a first-ever for an African American.
According to the Associated Press, Holder said, “[Clinton] is the candidate that we need in the White House.” Holder will join Clinton in Charleston, South Carolina for a Democratic Party dinner Saturday followed by a debate on Sunday. Following last year’s deadly church massacre, curbing gun violence has become a major factor for Clinton’s message in South Carolina.
February 27th is the Democratic Primary Election for South Carolina. In 2008, African-Americans brought a key advantage to South Carolina’s Democratic primary voting body. According to a Winthrop University poll, 80% of African-American Democrats in South Carolina support Clinton. Her strongest competitor, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders favoring only 15%.
Sanders is also working to secure black support within the party particularly through his “Feel the Bern” HBCU tour which recently kicked off in the state.