Jess Aloe

Free Press Staff Writer

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Freddye Ross will vote for Bernie Sanders if he wins the Democratic nomination, but she won't campaign for him.

A member of the mostly black New Hope Baptist Church, Ross is active in politics and is campaigning for Hillary Clinton in advance of Tuesday's primary. She cited affordable college education, equal pay for women, and climate change as issues that matter most to her.

“Hillary is a proven,” Ross, 75, said as she left church services Sunday. “She’s not saying anything she can’t do.”

Over the past few weeks, Sanders has cut into Clinton’s national lead, according to a January poll released by Monmouth University. But in one key demographic, Clinton’s actually gaining ground. The same poll showed that support for Clinton among black and Latino voters has increased by 10 percentage points, while Sanders enjoyed a 3 percentage point boost. Support among black and Latino communities will become even more important as the race moves beyond Iowa and New Hampshire.

Looking ahead, the Sanders campaign is trying to convince black and Latino voters that the Vermont senator’s policies will be best for them. Sanders supporters believe that as African-American voters learn more about the democratic socialist, more will switch their allegiance from Clinton to Sanders.

Sanders scored an endorsement Friday from Ben Jealous, former leader of the NAACP.

Jealous was originally supposed to appear at a news conference following a rally in Exeter, New Hampshire, but the campaign was forced to cancel the appearance because of snow. Jealous instead endorsed the Vermont senator during a conference call later that afternoon. He's also campaigning for Sanders in South Carolina, alongside Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died after a police officer put him in a chokehold.

In his prepared remarks, Jealous said Sanders fit Martin Luther King Jr.’s definition of a great leader.

“Bernie Sanders has the courage to confront the institutionalized bias that stains our nation,” he said. He praised Sanders’ opposition to the death penalty and his plan to end mass incarceration.

“Bernie Sanders has been principled, courageous, and consistent in fighting the evils that Dr. King referred to as the 'giant triplets' of racism, militarism and greed,” he said.

The Vermont senator has also been endorsed by black and Latino politicians and activists: Cornel West, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, and progressive Chicago politician Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.

Sanders spoke Friday night to concerns of black and Latino voters while speaking at a New Hampshire Democrat fundraiser. He promised comprehensive immigration reform and addressed police violence.

“We are tired of seeing unarmed people shot by police,” he said, adding that any police officer who breaks the law should be held accountable.

“I like a lot of what Bernie has to say,” Freddye's husband, Fred Ross, chimed in, but he doesn’t see Sanders as a practical choice and is also supporting Clinton. He was formerly the head of the New Hampshire Seacoast chapter of the NAACP, but spoke to the Free Press solely as a private citizen and did not want his opinion to be taken as an endorsement on behalf of anyone except himself. He said Jealous's endorsement didn't sway him.

"I've always been a person who thinks for myself," he said.

The Rev. Arthur Hilson urged his congregation, that includes Freddye and Fred Ross, to vote in the primary.

“As black people we need to stand up and vote our conscience,” he said near the end of Sunday service at New Hope Baptist.

Hilson’s conscience is telling him to vote for Hillary Clinton.

Hilson said Sanders is a “good man,” but he is tired of hearing Sanders speak over and over again about the rich and the poor and Wall Street. Still, he would vote for the candidate who wins the Democratic nomination.

The 80 year-old pastor said he wants to see similarities between the black electorate and New Hampshire's independent voters.

“Black people shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket and no one should take black voters for granted,” he said.

In his closing remarks for the service, he reminded the roughly two dozen people in attendance that it was Black History month and that it took years of fighting to get women and African-Americans the right to vote.

On Sunday, Clinton left New Hampshire, despite trailing in the polls, to visit Flint, Michigan. She called the issue of lead-tainted water an economic and racial injustice. Earlier this week, Sanders opened a campaign office in the in the majority-black city.

Black Bernie backer: 'Folks' don't want Hillary's plan

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jess_aloe