Bernie Sanders just received his first endorsement from a fellow senator

Oregon will vote in the Democratic and Republican primaries on May 17

A big endorsement for the Vermont senator. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Bernie Sanders received an endorsement from his first fellow senator on Wednesday.

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley announced his endorsement of his colleague an op-ed for The New York Times. Senator Merkley said that no decision outweighs America’s direction and national values than choosing a president.

“After considering the biggest challenges facing our nation and the future I want for my children and our country, I have decided to become the first member of the Senate to support my colleague Bernie Sanders for president,” Senator Merkley writes.

He continues by detailing points from his childhood, saying that he grew up in working class Oregon and that his parents were able to raise him on single incomes. Nowadays, Merkley says the economy has become rigged for the wealthy and everyday Americans are struggling to keep up.

Senator Merkley praises Sanders’ Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by saying she would be a “strong and capable president” but argues that “Bernie Sanders is boldly and fiercely addressing the biggest challenges facing our country.”

“Under President Obama’s leadership, our country is fairer and more prosperous for all than it was seven years ago,” he writes. “But as we look toward the next administration, there is far more work to do. We need urgency. We need big ideas. We need to rethink the status quo.”

Oregon will vote in the upcoming Democratic and Republican primaries on May 17.