NDP leadership candidate Niki Ashton has received her first federal caucus endorsement.

In a news release issued Wednesday, the Ashton campaign announced that Sheri Benson, member of Parliament for Saskatoon West, is throwing her support behind the Manitoba MP’s leadership bid.

News of Benson’s endorsement comes on the heels of the fifth NDP leadership debate in Saskatoon, which Benson attended.

“Right from the get-go in her political career, Niki has stood up for equity and human rights,” Benson is quoted as saying in Ashton’s news release. “As an MP for her riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, she has advocated for the north, her community, for good jobs, for good education, for equity, fairness and human rights. She has brought a loud and proud voice to issues affecting the north, the folks she represents.”

Benson is a rookie MP, first elected in the 2015 federal election, and serves as the New Democrats’ labour critic.

The NDP’s financial returns for Q1 2017, published by Elections Canada at the beginning of May, showed Benson donated $1,500 to Ashton’s leadership campaign in March. Asked at the time about her contribution and whether she would formally endorse Ashton, Benson declined to comment.

Ashton, who is one of four candidates gunning to replace Tom Mulcair as leader of the federal New Democratic Party, has already been endorsed by the following NDP politicians and activists:

Cheri Dinovo, MPP, Parkdale—High Park

Sid Ryan, former president of the Ontario Federation of Labour

Flor Marcelino, Manitoba NDP Leader

Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario

Shortly after announcing her newest endorsement on Wednesday, Ashton also rolled out her policy proposal to tackle gender-based violence and discrimination in Canada.

Ashton, who was first elected to Parliament in 2008, has served as the NDP’s status of women critic, among other opposition critic portfolios. She is currently the party’s critic for jobs, employment and workforce development.

Mainstreet Research recently polled 1,445 NDP members about their first choice for party leader. The results showed 20.4 per cent would put Ashton at the top of their ballot, behind 22.6 per cent who reported Ontario MP Charlie Angus as their first choice. More than a third of those polled – 35.9 per cent – said they were unsure about their first choice.

As of late March, Ashton was also in second place in terms of fundraising numbers, according to the first quarter filings for 2017. Despite only having joined the race on March 7, Ashton brought in $65,521 during the financial period ending March 31, while Angus raised $110,765.00

New Democrats will choose their new federal leader in the fall.