With five days left in the fall election season, Sen. Bernie Sanders is backing Oakland At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan in her close fought re-election against the corporate-backed Derreck Johnson.

Sanders made the announcement through former Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport, according to Kaplan’s campaign.

“I am just so pleased that my dear friend Bernie Sanders has endorsed Rebecca Kaplan. She is the most progressive candidate and has the experience of effective policy making Oakland needs,” Newport said. “Rebecca and Senator Bernie Sanders share core values, and both believe the billionaire corporate money in politics has to stop.”

The Sanders endorsement, one of the most high-profile any progressive can hope to receive, comes at the end of campaign that has been hard-fought and against a challenger with no previous experience in politics.

Independent polling earlier this month, showed Kaplan slightly leading Johnson, who is backed by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and has been the beneficiary of an independent expenditure committee backed by Lyft. The third candidate in the ranked-choice voting race is Nancy Sidebotham,

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