Primary: Jackson mayor endorses Sanders for president. Actress Sela Ward backs Bloomberg - Clarion Ledger

Luke Ramseth The Clarion-Ledger

Published 2:15 PM EST Feb 28, 2020

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has endorsed Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign and was in South Carolina on Friday campaigning for the senator ahead of that state's primary, a city spokeswoman confirmed. 

Meanwhile, actress Sela Ward, a Meridian native, said she had endorsed Mike Bloomberg for president and would serve as Bloomberg state campaign co-chair with her husband, former U.S. Senate candidate Howard Sherman. 

Lumumba hinted last week to the Clarion Ledger that he likely would endorse Sanders, but would not confirm it. On Friday a BuzzFeed News story said the mayor's choice was official after he held a recent "people's caucus" where a group of Jackson residents voted to back Sanders. 

"Sen. Sanders rose to the top," Lumumba told BuzzFeed of the caucus, where he said representatives for Sanders, Joe Biden, Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren also gave a pitch. "On a personal level, Sen. Sanders rises to the top for me because he has demonstrated the most consistency, and I think that his policies and what he has prioritized in his campaign speaks to the issues that we’re most concerned with in Mississippi."

As leader of the largest Mississippi city whose residents are mostly Democrats, Lumumba's endorsement could give a big boost to Sanders in the March 10 primary, which falls a week after Super Tuesday. Sanders will also hope the progressive mayor's backing gives him last-minute help courting African American voters in South Carolina.

Sanders has taken an early lead in the Democratic primary, winning in both Nevada and New Hampshire. 

Bloomberg — a late-comer to the race who has yet to appear on a ballot — has invested substantial resources in Mississippi. He's hired more than 20 staffers, far more than any other candidate, and is organizing about 200 volunteers. He has also purchased TV, radio and newspaper ads in the state.

The former New York mayor lined up nearly two dozen Mississippi endorsements in recent weeks, including state representatives, the mayors of Tupelo and Meridian, several Hinds County supervisors and others. 

His most prominent Mississippi endorsement is Ward, who has won Emmy and Golden Globe awards, and is best known for her television work in "Sisters," "Once and Again" and "CSI: NY" as well as the feature films, "The Fugitive" and "Gone Girl."

More: Bloomberg in Mississippi: Touts criminal justice reform, talks 'Stop and Frisk'

“I hope you cherished women of Mississippi will join hands with me in supporting Mike," Ward said in a statement. "This is a critical moment in our nation’s path. We must use our voice so that together we can dictate who we need in the White House, who will empower and protect us and our beloved children."

Ward added she believes Bloomberg is an effective leader having lived in New York City. When Bloomberg took office, she said, "he began his mission of guiding New York City to a new and brighter future. He was so popular he was elected for three consecutive terms." 

Lumumba said several candidates courted him. They included Bloomberg, who visited Jackson in 2018 to announce a $1 million grant related to healthy food and art. The billionaire returned last year after launching his campaign to discuss criminal justice reform.

"There's a theory that regardless of whether (Bloomberg) wins or not, he can still help out your city," Lumumba said of his endorsement thought process. But he said there were some "negatives" surrounding Bloomberg that worried him. Bloomberg has especially faced criticism in recent days for his "stop and frisk" policy as mayor of New York, where police officers would question or temporarily detain someone, often black or Latino men. 

Lumumba also strongly considered Warren. "Elizabeth has made inroads with different people — she works with my sister closely, she did her town hall here (at Jackson State University last year), and has been talking with me ever since."

More: Sen. Elizabeth Warren visits Mississippi

Then there was Sanders, who had come to Jackson for an economic justice town hall with the mayor in spring 2018. "Bernie endorsed me, Bernie wrote a check to me, Bernie came for the economic justice piece. They reach out a lot," Lumumba said.  

One candidate Lumumba quickly ruled out was Biden, who he said he was "not convinced by at all," despite the former vice president being a "nice guy." After Lumumba and three other prominent Southern mayors released an agenda outlining what they wanted to see from presidential candidates, Biden invited the group to Atlanta to talk. 

Sanders learned of the meeting, and also came to Atlanta, requesting Lumumba and the mayor of Birmingham, Randall Woodfin, meet with him separately, Lumumba said. The mayor said late last week he had lost sleep over his decision but was "finally at peace" with his endorsement — which turned out to be Sanders. 

"When I told the other (candidates) I wasn't going to do it," Lumumba said, "I felt like I was breaking up with a girlfriend — 'It's not you, it's me.'"

Contact Luke Ramseth at 601-961-7050 or lramseth@gannett.com. Follow @lramseth on Twitter.

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