Warren wins backing of progressive group that supported Sanders in 2016

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After supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in 2016, the Working Families Party on Monday endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The backing by the progressive organization that’s aligned with the labor movement gives Warren a boost as she and fellow populist Sanders battle for the mantle of progressive standard-bearer among the record-setting field of Democratic White House hopefuls.

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“We’re committed to helping Elizabeth Warren win — and to organizing in our communities and online to make sure that the issues that matter to working families remain at the center of this primary campaign,” the group emphasized on Twitter.

Warren won the endorsement through an online vote, grabbing 61 percent of support from WFP members and supporters. Sanders was a distant second, at 36 percent. In the 2016 Democratic primaries, the independent senator from Vermont captured 87 percent of the vote, easily landing the party’s 2016 endorsement over eventual nominee Hillary Clinton.

WFP national director Maurice Mitchell noted that, "Senator Warren and Senator Sanders have both shaped the ideological terrain on which this campaign is being waged.”

“They have proven an effective team on debate stages and in the polls, and we hope that partnership continues. We're proud to call both of them allies in the fight for a more just America,” he added.

The New York City-based group has been expanding its operations since the start of President Trump’s tenure in the White House. Last year it backed progressive Cynthia Nixon in her unsuccessful primary challenge against Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York State.