Booker rolls out black lawmakers' endorsement in S. Carolina

MEG KINNARD
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker speaks during an Iowa Democratic Party Black Caucus Reception, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker is announcing backing from a slate of black elected officials in the crucial early voting state of South Carolina.

Booker's campaign said Thursday that the New Jersey senator is being endorsed by state Reps. Leola Robinson-Simpson and Annie McDaniel. He's also being supported by Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis, Clarendon County Auditor Patricia Pringle and Manning Mayor Julia Nelson.

Booker has already netted the endorsement of state Rep. John King, a former chairman of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. His campaign returns to the state next week, with stops in Richland, Spartanburg, Union, Clarendon, Hampton and Beaufort counties.

African American support is critical in South Carolina, where black voters comprise most of the Democratic primary electorate.