Sanders Campaign Press Release - Jumaane Williams Endorses Bernie Sanders for President

New York City Public Advocate and Progressive Force Backs Bernie Sanders in 2020

WASHINGTON -- Today Bernie Sanders received the endorsement of Jumaane Williams, New York City Public Advocate and a leading progressive voice in New York.

"Jumaane is truly an advocate for the people, and I am proud to receive his endorsement today, " said Sen. Sanders. "Jumaane and I share a common cause -- to change the systems that make it harder and harder for working families to get by. I am grateful to have the support of my fellow Brooklynite, and the grassroots support of so many New Yorkers."

Williams is the Public Advocate for the City of New York and previously served as a Council Member for the 45th District in Brooklyn. In a video released today, Williams spoke about the inclusive grassroots movement backing Sanders' candidacy, as well as Sanders' consistency and commitment on issues like quality housing, health care, and education.

"It's critically important to have someone like Bernie Sanders as the next President because we have to have someone who's not just going to heal and unite, but who is going to change the system that's in place," Williams said. "When I first got elected, I made a decision that I didn't get elected to get re-elected. I got elected to try to cause transformational change for people who feel their voice hasn't been heard. Bernie's done the same thing. Bernie's message resonates because everybody understands that they too deserve quality housing, quality healthcare and quality education. We all deserve that, and Bernie Sanders is the one who is going to lead that charge."

The endorsement video can be seen here.

Williams' endorsement follows other high-profile endorsements from New York progressives, including U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; State Senators Michael Gianaris, Jessica Ramos, Julia Salazar, James Sanders, and Luis Sepulveda; State Representatives Ron Kim and Phil Steck; New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal; and anti-corruption scholar and professor Zephyr Teachout.