Oregon’s Jeff Merkley says a shared vision on key issues such as the nation’s economic future, global climate change and a campaign finance system gone awry led him to become the first U.S. senator to endorse Bernie Sanders for president.
Merkley explained his decision initially in an op-ed column Wednesday in The New York Times.
“On those three big issues that go to the heart of the American experience, Bernie Sanders has been a bold, articulate and powerful force for a long time,” Merkley said later in an interview with the Portland Tribune. “I think that is the type of leadership we need.”
Merkley is Oregon’s only top Democratic officeholder to endorse the Vermont senator for the Democratic nomination. Sen. Ron Wyden, Gov. Kate Brown, and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Kurt Schrader have endorsed Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner and former secretary of state, New York senator and first lady.
To read more, visit the Portland Tribune.
