AP Photo Sanders gets his first congressional endorsement

At long last, Bernie Sanders has his first congressional backer.

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva is set to endorse the Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate later this week, a person familiar with the congressman’s plans confirmed to POLITICO on Wednesday morning.


The move — which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times — is mostly significant because it’s Sanders’ first endorsement from a sitting member of Congress despite his insurgent candidacy that has seen him take the lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.

But Sanders has built up his bid as a political outsider’s campaign, standing in stark contrast to the front-runner Clinton, who has the backing of over 150 sitting senators, representatives, and governors, according to FiveThirtyEight’s endorsement tracker.

Half of the country’s Democratic governors are in that tally, including Peter Shumlin, who leads Sanders’ Vermont. His Senate colleague Patrick Leahy is also backing Clinton.

More than anything else, the endorsement scoreboard is a reflection of Clinton’s standing among the Democratic Party’s establishment leadership heading into the first primary debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

With Grijalva on board, Sanders matches longshot Martin O’Malley’s mark of one Washington backer. Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to jump into the race, counts three of his own — all from his home state of Delaware.