(CNN) Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was endorsed by Maryland Congressman Anthony G. Brown on Thursday, the first time the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, who has struggled to garner black support, won the endorsement of a black member of Congress.

Buttigieg also announced that Brown will serve as a co-chair of his campaign, and an aide tells CNN that they plan to have the congressman hit the campaign trail for Buttigieg in the coming weeks.

The endorsement marks a significant step for Buttigieg, who has worked for months to make inroads with black voters across the country but has yet to see notable results. Those efforts have concentrated on South Carolina, the fourth state in the Democratic nominating process, where black voters make up a large block of the primary electorate.

"Our country needs a president who can heal our divides and restore decency to our nation's highest office," Brown said in a statement. "Pete's message is not defined by exclusion but welcomes everyone into the fight to tackle our nation's greatest challenges."

Brown, who also served as Maryland's lieutenant governor and is a veteran of the Iraq War, said that military experience is one of the key reasons he backed Buttigieg.

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