Former Philadelphia City Councilmember Helen Gym picked up a well-known endorsement on Tuesday, as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders threw his support behind her candidacy for mayor.

“Helen Gym is a fighter for working families,” said Sanders. “She has fought for strong public education, legislation to protect tenants’ rights, and healthcare for all. I am proud to endorse her campaign for mayor of Philadelphia.”

“I’m honored to have the support of Senator Sanders,” said Gym. “Bernie and I stood together when a private equity firm plundered Hahnemann Hospital and turned its back on our most vulnerable residents. Like Bernie, I have always believed that healthcare, affordable housing, quality public education, and real economic opportunity are a right, not a privilege. It’s time to return power back to communities that have been denied it for too long and finally make City Hall work in the public interest.”

In 2019, Gym and Sen. Sanders wrote a joint op-ed about the fight to keep Hahnemann Hospital, which served Philadelphia’s lowest-income and highest need communities, open.

She adds Sanders to a growing list of recognizable names in her corner, including New York Congresswomen Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Pennsylvania state Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) and state representatives Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), Tarik Khan (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), and Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia).