Cory Booker nets 1st 2020 endorsement from South Carolina lawmaker

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker has netted the first endorsement from a sitting lawmaker in the early-voting state of South Carolina.

State Rep. John King tells The Associated Press that he's backing the senator from New Jersey in part because he feels Booker's experience combating corruption as Newark mayor will help him do the same for the country as president.

King is past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus in South Carolina, where the Democratic primary electorate is mostly black. He says Booker's commitment to issues affecting that community, like sickle cell anemia, is something that will resonate in next year's primary.

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Booker returns to South Carolina on Saturday for events in Rock Hill and Columbia. He also will be in Orangeburg on March 27 for a CNN town hall.

Associated Press