Nick Coltrain | Des Moines Register

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders earned the endorsement of state Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad on Friday, lending another prominent progressive Iowan's voice to his surging caucus campaign.

Abdul-Samad, a Des Moines Democrat, has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2007 and has been seen at campaign events for several candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, though he had so far not endorsed any of them.

“The candidate that resonated with me and that has come closest to my passion for justice in the world is Sen. Bernie Sanders,” Abdul-Samad said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the senator and the team to continue addressing the issues that are not only dividing us here in America, but in the world. The struggle is real. We can and must win!”

Before serving in the statehouse, Abdul-Samad was vice president of the Des Moines School Board. He also founded the Creative Visions Human Development Institute and works with several youth and civic organizations in Des Moines.

Sanders led in the Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll released in January — a first in his two campaigns for the nomination — but his 20% support among likely Democratic caucusgoers put him within 5 percentage points of the next three candidates.

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“It’s a tight race in Iowa, so are very excited about Rep. Ako’s endorsement,” the Sanders campaign's Iowa State Director, Misty Rebik, said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing together in the struggle to change the system that’s failed the working class for generations.”

With just three days until caucus, previously undecided and those that saw their first choice fail to catch steam are finding new homes. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sanders' chief rival for the progressive vote, has claimed a number of Iowans who previously declared for other candidates, and candidates themselves.

But it's not always a clear transition: While former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro joined Warren's effort after he dropped out of the race, his former national campaign director, and former Iowa Democratic Party chair, Derek Eadon ended up backing Sanders earlier this month.