Bernie Sanders Nabs Endorsements In New York And Nevada, Still Lags Behind Hillary Clinton

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont gained momentum in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination this week, announcing endorsements in Nevada and New York. New York State Sens. Bill Perkins and James Sanders Jr. (no relation), who represent parts of Harlem and Queens, backed Sanders Wednesday — a valuable local endorsement for Sanders' campaign against front-runner Hillary Clinton, the New York Daily News reported.

“The truth is that if you aren’t wealthy, in our current political system your problems just don’t matter,” Perkins said. “Bernie Sanders is calling for a political revolution and that’s what it will take to transform our nation into one where we all matter.”

The news came two days after Sanders revealed he had scored the support of Erin Bilbray, the daughter of former Rep. James Bilbray, D-Nev. Erin Bilbray is a superdelegate to the Democratic National Committee, which means she can vote for whomever she wants at the convention come July, U.S. News and World Report reported.

Bilbray told the Reno Gazette-Journal she'd been considering endorsing former Secretary of State Clinton but ultimately decided against it.

“I have spent my entire career working to engage women in the political process," Bilbray wrote in a statement. "But at this point the biggest threat to American democracy is the dark money from super PACs that are controlling our elections. Government cannot focus on all of the important issues that affect America’s working families when a handful of super-wealthy donors, in both parties, have the ability to predetermine who will win the election.”

The Sanders campaign told the Washington Post with Bilbray, the candidate has the backing of 11 superdelegates. Clinton reportedly has about 360.

As of Thursday morning, Clinton was leading the Democratic primary field with about 56 percent of the vote, according to the HuffPost Pollster. Sanders had about 30 percent, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was trailing them both with 3 percent.