Sanders Formally Endorses Hillary Clinton's Candidacy For U.S. President

Bernie Sanders (left) acknowledged that Hillary Clinton (right), his rival for the Democratic U.S. presidential nomination, had won the necessary delegates to be their party's choice for the election. (file photo)

Bernie Sanders, the rival of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the race to become the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, has formally endorsed Clinton’s candidacy – saying "she must become our next president."

The endorsement on July 12 came as Sanders, a senator from the state of Vermont, stood side-by-side with Clinton at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Sanders pledged that his "political revolution" would continue.

But he acknowledged that Clinton had won the delegates necessary to win the party's nomination.

Sanders also promised to help Clinton campaign against the presumptive Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

He said Clinton was "far and away the best candidate" to confront the challenges facing the United States.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP