Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young backed the Rev. Raphael Warnock’s bid for U.S. Senate on Monday, making him the latest prominent Democrat to rally behind the pastor.

Young called Warnock a “leader of uncommon decency and grace” who honored the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with his advocacy for economic equality and other issues.

“I’m proud to endorse him because I know that he will bring to the U.S. Senate an unwavering moral compass and a firm commitment to fighting for all Georgians,” said Young.

The pastor, who heads Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, is one of 20 challengers running against Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler in a jumbled November special election that seems sure to end with a January runoff.

He’s quickly earned support from some of his party’s establishment forces, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Stacey Abrams, a potential running-mate to Joe Biden.

Warnock is jockeying for Democratic votes against two other top rivals: Former federal prosecutor Ed Tarver and businessman Matt Lieberman, the son of former Sen. Joe Lieberman.

They’re competing in a contest roiled by the revelation that Loeffler, a financial executive who took office in January, sold up to $3.1 million in stocks after a coronavirus update earlier this year.

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Pinky Cole's Ponce City Market location in Atlanta, Georgia, 'Bar Vegan', during lunch time on April 5, 2024. (Jamie Spaar for the Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Credit: Jamie Spaar