Bernie Sanders, fresh off a sweeping New Hampshire victory, invaded Hillary Clinton’s back yard on Wednesday and broke bread with Al Sharpton to make his most public effort yet to court black voters.
The Vermont senator is in desperate need of African-American support, as he looks ahead to the Feb. 27 Democratic primary in South Carolina, where black voters make up more than half of the state’s registered Democrats.
Sanders and Sharpton met for breakfast at historic Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem.
The presidential hopeful showed up at 9:45 a.m. and the brief meeting broke up at 10:18 a.m.
Sanders and Sharpton emerged with supporters chanting “Bernie, Bernie … Bern baby Bern!”
Sanders on Tuesday exceeded lofty expectations in New Hampshire — a state Clinton won against then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 — and routed the former secretary of state, 60-38.
He parlayed that win into an immediate bottom-line benefit, collecting $2.6 million in donations between the close of polls Tuesday night in New Hampshire and 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Politico reported.
Local supporters of Sanders descended into the neighborhood around Malcolm X Boulevard and West 126th Street to cheer on the insurgent candidate.
“I live in Harlem and I’m excited,” said Angela Bronner-Helm, 42. “I feel more aligned with what he’s (Sanders) standing for … I think the Clintons have taken the African-American vote for granted.”
Sylvia’s is around the corner from former President Bill Clinton’s office on 125th Street.
“I believe in what he has to say. I feel he’s actually for me,” said Catherine Robinson, 16, who was late to class so she could voice her support for Sanders.
“He cares about African-Americans and any other race because he sees people as people while Hillary is actively trying to get minority votes … I feel it’s not genuine. She just wants the job.”
In the last South Carolina Democratic poll, taken by NBC and the Wall Street Journal more than 2½ weeks ago, Clinton led Sanders, 64-27, in the Palmetto State.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump on Wednesday basked in the glow of his first win — a decisive triumph over a crowded GOP New Hampshire field.
The Donald captured 35 percent of the vote, topping John Kasich at 16 percent, Iowa winner Ted Cruz with 12 percent and Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio at 11 percent.
“It’s a great place — New Hampshire — you know I love the people and they were reflective of it,” Trump told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday. “It was a great evening.”
Bush tried to spin his fourth-place finish as a step forward from his sixth-place, 2.8 percent performance in Iowa a week earlier.
“Beating those expectations is always important,” Bush told CNN on Wednesday.
“The bigger issue is what are we going to do the next eight years? We’re going to elect a president that can fix the mess in Washington, restore our national security and give people the economic security if possible again.”
Additional reporting by David K. Li