Bernie Sanders offers long-awaited endorsement: Hillary Clinton is 'far and away the best candidate'
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. _ Democrats took a long-anticipated step toward unity Tuesday as Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton, praising the party platform and its presumptive nominee here in the state that gave him his most powerful primary victory.
"This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face. And there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that," Sanders said to the cheers of hundreds of partisans crowded into a high school gymnasium here, Clinton nodding at his side.
Although long-awaited and, to some extent, anticlimactic, the rally was nonetheless a positive moment for the Clinton campaign, which has spent considerable time over the last week grappling with the aftermath of FBI Director James B. Comey's tough condemnation of how she handled classified email while secretary of state.
The joint appearance here, in the state whose primary did more than any other to propel Sanders into the role of a true threat to Clinton, came after weeks of negotiations and careful choreography.
_ Tribune Washington Bureau
