Steyer endorsed for president by influential SC lawmaker

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer has picked up the endorsement of a key lawmaker in early-voting South Carolina.

Steyer’s campaign says state Rep. Jerry Govan has signed on as a senior adviser.

Govan is chairman of South Carolina’s Legislative Black Caucus. The group’s members have become sought-after endorsements for presidential candidates as they compete in the state, where the majority of the Democratic primary electorate is African American.

Govan previously supported Joe Biden, serving as an adviser and co-chairman of Biden’s 2008 campaign in South Carolina.

Steyer, a California financier and liberal activist, is campaigning in the state this weekend. He’s scheduled to speak to Black Caucus members in Columbia and attend the Charleston Blue Jam on Saturday.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP