Update: The Flint Mayor's office has reached out to Refinery29 to clarify that Weaver's statements were not an official "endorsement" of Clinton's campaign and that Weaver was "merely stating a fact."
This article was originally published on January 19, 2016. During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver (D) endorsed Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. "We want a friend like Hillary in the White House," Weaver told reporters on the call, which was organized by Clinton's campaign. "That's exactly what we need to have happen." Weaver said on the call that the former secretary of state is the only 2016 contender who reached out to the Michigan city about its ongoing water crisis. President Obama signed an emergency declaration for Flint's crisis on Saturday. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has called on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) to resign over the shameful state of the city's water. For more than a year, Flint's public water supply has been contaminated with lead. In December, Weaver declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard and FEMA — as well as Cher — have provided bottled water and lead filters to Flint residents.
This article was originally published on January 19, 2016. During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver (D) endorsed Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. "We want a friend like Hillary in the White House," Weaver told reporters on the call, which was organized by Clinton's campaign. "That's exactly what we need to have happen." Weaver said on the call that the former secretary of state is the only 2016 contender who reached out to the Michigan city about its ongoing water crisis. President Obama signed an emergency declaration for Flint's crisis on Saturday. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has called on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) to resign over the shameful state of the city's water. For more than a year, Flint's public water supply has been contaminated with lead. In December, Weaver declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard and FEMA — as well as Cher — have provided bottled water and lead filters to Flint residents.
Last week, Clinton sent two of her campaign aides to help Flint city officials. Clinton also mentioned Flint's "lead-contaminated water" during Sunday's Democratic primary debate. Earlier this month, Clinton said that the federal government should "step up" its assistance to the city and conduct an "expedited review" of Flint's water infrastructure.
Not all of Michigan's politicians are on board with Clinton, though. Snyder has accused Clinton of "politicizing" the water crisis. His remarks came after Clinton said on Monday that "we would be outraged if this happened to white kids," referencing the fact that the majority of Flint's population is Black. Clinton called the crisis "a civil rights issue" at an event for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Columbia, South Carolina.