WASHINGTON — Civil-rights leader John Lewis dropped his support for Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday in favor of Barack Obama.
Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Atlanta, is the most prominent black leader to defect from Clinton’s campaign in the face of near-unanimous black support for Obama in recent voting. He also is a superdelegate who gets a vote at this summer’s national convention in Denver.
In a written statement, Lewis said Obama’s campaign “represents the beginning of a new movement in American political history” and that he wants “to be on the side of the people.”
“After taking some time for serious reflection on this issue, I have decided that when I cast my vote as a superdelegate at the Democratic convention, it is my duty . . . to express the will of the people,” the statement said.
Lewis’ endorsement had been coveted by the Democrats, thanks to his standing as one of the most prominent civil-rights leaders of the 1960s.
The Associated Press
