In speech to NY delegates, Sanders touts Clinton

PHILADELPHIA -- Fresh off his rousing speech Monday night on the convention floor, Bernie Sanders visited New York's delegation on Tuesday morning -- urging delegates to back Hillary Clinton for president.

Sanders made a surprise visit to one of the nation's largest delegations and home state to Clinton, the former New York senator.

Introduced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Clinton supporter, the Vermont senator and former presidential hopeful continued the themes from his convention speech Monday: Don't let support for him get in the way of defeating Donald Trump in November.

"Our first task is to make sure that Hillary Clinton is elected our president," Sanders said to an ovation.

"But our second task, in my view, is to continue the political revolution whose goal is nothing less than transforming this country."

Sanders continues to try to quell dissent from Sanders' supporters over backing Clinton. He was touring state delegations Tuesday morning to drive home his message of unity.

"We have got to defeat and defeat soundly a candidate whose cornerstone, the cornerstone of his campaign, if you can believe it, is bigotry," Sanders said.

Sanders is a Brooklyn native who fared well in New York, garnering 42 percent of the primary vote in April to 58 percent for Clinton, who lives in Chappaqua, Westchester County.

But some Sanders supporters in New York have been reluctant to switch allegiances to Clinton.

New York delegates cheered, "We love you, Bernie" and chanted, "Bernie, Bernie."

When speaking to California delegates, some people booed when Sanders stumped for Clinton.

Cuomo also tried to pivot the convention back to Clinton's nomination. The Democratic governor praised Sanders for his primary run -- and for throwing his support behind Clinton.

"I want to applaud the senator for a really outstanding campaign," Cuomo told delegates.

"I also want to applaud the senator for keeping his eye on the ball. The goal for the Democratic Party is to make sure Trump and that philosophy has no place in this country – ever."

Cuomo has talked up New York as the "progressive capital" of the nation, and he and Sanders boasted about some of the state's Democratic gains: a phased-in $15 minimum wage and paid-family leave.

"When Governor Cuomo talks about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour that means millions of people who live in poverty no longer will live in poverty," Sanders said.

"And when you passed paid family and medical leave, it means that when a mom has a baby, she can stay home with that baby."

Cuomo, a Queens native, joked that Sanders will always be a New Yorker.

"In many ways, I’m welcoming Senator Sanders home because he’s Brooklyn boy," Cuomo said in his introduction.

"And you know what they say about Brooklyn, 'You can take the boy out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take Brooklyn out of the boy.'"