Bernie Sanders has breakfast plans in Harlem Wednesday with Al Sharpton

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is huddling with Al Sharpton as he looks to make inroads with African-American voters ahead of the SC primary.

The two met one-on-one to discuss issues that affect African-Americans around the country.

Sharpton also plans to meet with Hillary Clinton next week. Onlookers chanted “feel the Bern”, and “Bern baby Bern” as Sharpton walked the candidate to a waiting auto.

Despite handily winning the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, Sanders is still struggling to gain significant support among African-American voters.

They will play a crucial role in the Democratic race as it moves to SC – where more than half of the Democratic primary voters in 2008 were African American – and other states more diverse than New Hampshire or Iowa, which held the first contest of the 2016 election. Black voters skew Democratic by an overwhelming ratio of 80 to 11, according to the Pew Research Center, making blacks by far the most loyal demographic group in the Democratic base.

Sanders now enjoys support from high profile African American leaders such as Ohio State Sen.

“I think it is very important that he sent the signal that on the morning after a historic victory… he would come to Harlem and have breakfast with me”, Sharpton said.

The powwow will irk some New Yorkers who believe Sharpton is an opportunist who injects himself into the limelight involving racial issues whenever he can.

The pair talked for 20 minutes – sitting at the same table where Sharpton met with candidate Barack Obama in 2008 – before Sanders left without taking questions.

Sure enough, after Tuesday’s win, Wednesday morning found Sharpton greeting Sanders outside the Harlem eatery amidst a crowd of reporters and cheering supporters.

Reuters/Ipsos polling nationally showed that in January, blacks backed Clinton by a margin of 3 to 1 over Sanders.

This is not an endorsement for Bernie Sanders, who after all voted for the 1994 crime bill. It looked to be a smoother meeting than some of the ones Sanders has had with African-American activists in the past.

“A figure like Sharpton, what he says and what he thinks can have a lot of sway”.

Sanders already has begun airing ads in Nevada and SC, has hired staff in 15 states and is prepared for a national race, Briggs said.

“I’ve told my audience, who are overwhelmingly for Bernie: If you’re on a plane and they don’t have your first choice – the fish – eat the chicken!” he wrote.