FLORENCE, S.C. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts received the endorsement of a member of the Hartsville City Council on Saturday afternoon.

Councilman Tre’ Gammage announced his endorsement at the opening of the Warren campaign’s Florence office. The office is at 1719 S. Irby St., Suite D.

Gammage, an educational consultant, said he had the chance to speak with several candidates and their campaigns but felt a personal connection with Warren.

“Sen. Warren called him on what I assume to be her personal cell-phone — it was not blocked. I texted her; she texted me back,” Gammage said. “The same person I see on TV is the same person I met when she was speaking in Florence.”

Warren held a town hall in Florence on Oct. 27.

Gammage hails from South Bend, Indiana, the city where candidate Pete Buttigieg is mayor.

He said Buttigieg had done some great things for the northern Indiana city but added that it was easy to see a lack of revitalization for people of color.

That lack of revitalization, Gammage said, is what also is trending in South Carolina and other states. He referenced a recent poll that showed Buttigieg received 0% support from African Americans in the Palmetto State.

“In my hometown, the people that I talked to were not happy with the way the city is right now for people of color,” Gammage said. “I didn’t feel comfortable putting my support behind that.”

He added that he agreed with Warren’s approach to education.

He also said the local campaign team had made him feel a part of the group.

Gammage told those attending the opening of the office that he had not voted in 2016 but was inspired to run for the Hartsville City Council after President Donald Trump’s election.

A former law school professor, Warren has served as a senator from Massachusetts since 2013. She announced her presidential campaign Feb. 9.

Warren is a native of Oklahoma City but was raised in nearby Norman, Oklahoma. She graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in speech pathology and Rutgers Law School after her ex-husband received a job transfer.

She became one of the most cited law professors in the field of commercial law before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. She was also the congressional oversight chairwoman for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Warren also is known for her attempt to prove she has American Indian ancestry after a challenge from Trump.