Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) officially endorsed Hillary Clinton for president at a joint rally Tuesday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Sanders began his address to the enthusiastic crowd by thanking them for their support of his campaign.
He acknowledged that Clinton had far surpassed him in their delegate count, but cited how his 1,900 delegates were much more than anyone expected his campaign to be able to get.
"Secretary Clinton has won the democratic nominating process. And, I congratulate her for that," Sanders said. "She will be the Democratic nominee for president, and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States."
Sanders and Clinton exchanged sharp barbs over the course of their contentious primary fight, which lasted far longer than anyone expected. Acknowledging his primary battle with Clinton, Sanders said he came to the stage not to focus on the past but look forward to the general election.
"I have come here today not to talk about the past but to focus on the future," he said. "That future will be shaped more by what happens on November 8th in voting booths across our nation than by any other event in the world."
He proceeded to declare his endorsement of his formal rival and said he wanted to make it crystal clear as to why he decided to support Clinton. One of these reasons is that he wanted to unite the Democratic party before the general election as a way to gain a Democratic presidency and democratically controlled House and Senate.
"I have come here to make it as clear as possible as to why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton and why she must become our next president," he said.
Clinton sent out a fundraising email almost directly after Sanders’ endorsement. She said in her speech, which directly followed Sanders’ remarks, that she also accepts $27 donations, which Sanders touted as the average contribution he received throughout the primary. He used this figure on the campaign trail to attack Clinton for receiving large sums of money from Super PACs and the financial industry.