Democrat Beto O’Rourke left no doubt that he would support legislation to create a commission to explore the possibility of reparations for slavery in the United States.

“Absolutely, I would sign that into law,” O’Rourke said when asked by the Rev. Al Sharpton on Wednesday at the annual National Action Network’s conference in New York City.

Sharpton had asked O’Rourke if he were elected president, would he would sign into law a bill by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, that would create a commission to explore the economic implications of slavery and segregation. That commission could ultimately propose reparations being paid to descendants of slaves.

O’Rourke is far from the only candidate talking about backing that potential commission. Sharpton later credited another Democrat vying for the presidential nomination, former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, with driving the issue to the forefront in the presidential race with comments he’s made in past weeks.

For subscribers: Reparations for descendants of slaves emerges as key issue in 2020 Democratic field

Castro, who spoke more than an hour after O’Rourke at the same National Action Network event, has been outspoken about the need to address the legacy of slavery. The National Action Network is a civil rights group founded by Sharpton in 1991.

“I have said many times during the last several weeks that I have long believed that our country will never truly heal until we address the original sin of slavery,” Castro said.

Sharpton has not endorsed any candidates yet but started the conference on Wednesday with effusive praise for O’Rourke, whom he said emerged like a rock star in 2018. He said O’Rourke caught his attention last year for his comments supporting black athletes kneeling during the National Anthem and about white privilege.

“I had never seen a major white candidate for president talk about white privilege,” Sharpton said. “And so it is no accident that he is the first of the presidential candidates to come and speak to us this morning.”

O’Rourke drew big applause from the audience and from Sharpton when he highlighted his position on criminal justice reforms. O’Rourke has frequently talked about ending the prohibition on marijuana and expunging the records of people arrested for small amounts of it.

“We must also end the cash bail system and we must also end prisons for profit and we must conclude a war on drugs that has become a war on people,” O’Rourke said as Sharpton nodded.