Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders landed an endorsement from the official youth arm of the California Democratic Party on Saturday night, reported Common Dreams .
The organization, California Young Democrats, is the largest state federation of Young Democrats in the United States. It comprises of 16 caucuses and 106 chartered chapters.
According to its official website, cayoungdems.com , the group is “dedicated to building a bloc of young voters for Democrats.”
“With young voters voting in record numbers since 2008, CYD is the only youth political organization organizing young people through Peer-to-Peer, the only mobilizing tactic proven to increase young voter turnout on Election Day,” the mission statement reads.
One hundred and twenty six leaders and young party operatives voted on Saturday night, overwhelmingly backing the Vermont senator.
Sanders won 67 percent of the vote, allowing him to take the endorsement in the first round of voting.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren received 23 percent of the vote, Senator Kamala Harris received 4.7 percent of the vote and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in fourth place with less than one percent of the vote.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is considered to be one of the Democratic frontrunners, did not receive a single vote.
The past week was significant for Sanders, who landed a number of high-profile endorsements. National Nurses United, United Teachers Los Angeles and Rights & Democracy’s Vermont and New Hampshire chapters also endorsed the progressive independent.
In a statement, the Sanders campaign said the endorsements “represent the vibrant and growing grassroots support that Sanders’ campaign is receiving from coast to coast.”
In a Twitter message, Sanders thanked the organizations for endorsing him.
“This is what a multiracial, multigenerational, working-class movement looks like,” he wrote.
Sanders has consistently polled well among young voters, but now he seems to be picking up steam nationwide. For instance, the most recent Reuters /Ipsos Democratic primary poll showed Sanders in the lead , with 19 percent of the vote.
The Independent Vermont senator is known for championing progressive and populist policies . He is in favor of higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations, supports a socialized single-payer health care system, supports the Green New Deal and says higher education should be tuition-free.
Sanders has released a slew of ambitious policy proposals meant to tackle what he considers to be one of the greatest issues in the United States today: income and wealth inequality.
“I am a candidate of the working class,” he said in a recent interview, pointing out that his campaigns are fully grassroots-funded.