An unusual exchange occurred between Hillary Clinton and Al Sharpton following their meeting at the National Urban League on Tuesday, with Sharpton claiming only Clinton knows if he will endorse a presidential candidate and Clinton saying her “lips are sealed.”
As part of her campaign’s efforts to lock down the black vote ahead of next weekend’s South Carolina primary, Clinton sat down Tuesday with Sharpton and other civil-rights leaders at the National Urban League’s headquarters in lower Manhattan.
Politico reporter Annie Karni caught Sharpton and Clinton on video as they exited the meeting. “You better watch her,” Sharpton told Clinton. “She’s trying to ask whether I’m endorsing. I told [her] only you know, and you’re not tellin’.’”
“My lips are sealed,” Clinton said, pressing a hand to her chest.
Will Sharpton endorse Clinton? Her response. pic.twitter.com/mNKHkOAgf9
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) February 16, 2016
Sharpton met with Clinton rival Bernie Sanders the day after the Vermont senator’s blowout win in New Hampshire last week, a move some suggested may be a precursor to an endorsement. But Tuesday morning’s exchange suggests Sharpton plans to endorse Clinton — perhaps even ahead of the all-important South Carolina primary.
Sharpton has a complicated history with the Clinton family. In 2010, he suggested a disparaging comment made by Bill Clinton against Barack Obama in 2008 was driven by racial animus. But Hillary Clinton has embraced Obama at every opportunity in recent months, something Sharpton, a close ally of the president, is likely to appreciate.
A Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday morning gives Clinton a 30-point lead over Sanders among black Democrats in South Carolina. The black establishment leans heavily toward her side, as illustrated by last week’s endorsement from the Congressional Black Caucus.
The Sanders camp is counting on young black voters to undermine Clinton’s substantial advantage among the demographic as a whole. And it’s unclear whether the 61-year-old Sharpton can make a substantial impression on that particular demographic.