Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gave an impassioned speech endorsing Hillary Clinton on Tuesday at a joint rally in New Hampshire, saying “she must become our next president.”

Sanders said that Clinton fairly “won the Democratic nominating process” with far more pledged delegates and superdelegates than he earned, though he did not officially drop out.

“I congratulate her for that,” the Vermont senator said to roaring applause from the audience. “She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States.”

Sanders delayed endorsing Clinton after she won the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination in June, insisting that the race was not over until the Democratic National Convention.

In New Hampshire, Sanders called Clinton “far and away the best candidate” to address the “serious crises” America faces, including income inequality and bitter partisanship in Congress.

Much of the address read like a standard Sanders stump speech, touching on the undue influence of money in politics, the need for universal healthcare, and raising the minimum wage. On each issue, he emphasized the starkly different positions held by Clinton and Donald Trump and how “important” the 2016 race was for the direction of the United States.

A somber Clinton stood by Sanders’ side, nodding her approval.

The Vermont senator acknowledged that he diverged from Clinton on “a number of issues” but that the two campaigns worked together to create “the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party” ahead of the national convention in Philadelphia.

“Our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and a Hillary Clinton president – and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen,” Sanders said.

“Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her here today,” he concluded, as they embraced one another.