Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has been endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus, a much-needed boost to her campaign as it competes for the important black voting bloc in South Carolina's primary this month.
Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have built strong ties to the African-American community over the past decades.
Several lawmakers on Thursday cited Clinton's long history of not only working on issues important to black Americans, but on getting Democrats elected and advancing the party's agenda.
"Mrs Clinton has demonstrated her leadership skills. She has laboured in various capacities all of her adult life and now she is ready to serve our country by occupying the highest office in our country," said US Representative GK Butterfield.
The group's backing will be important as Clinton seeks to recover from Tuesday's stinging loss to US Senator Bernie Sanders in the New Hampshire primary.
Black voters make up a large bloc in the Democratic primary in South Carolina and will be increasingly significant to the Democrats as the presidential contest moves from Iowa and New Hampshire to more demographically diverse states.
The Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee planned to send a dozen members to South Carolina to campaign for Clinton over the weekend in advance of the state's February 27 Democratic primary.
Sanders, fresh off his victory in New Hampshire, had breakfast on Wednesday with one of America's most prominent civil rights activists, Rev Al Sharpton, recognising the need to broaden his base to mount a long-term challenge to Clinton.
