ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hillary Clinton's campaign enlisted the support of black Democrats on Friday to undermine Bernie Sanders' push to claim a piece of President Barack Obama's legacy, arguing she is the rightful heir to the nation's first black president.

Clinton sought solidarity with Obama at every turn during Thursday's debate in Milwaukee, referring to herself as a “staunch supporter” of his health care law and praising him as a role model on race relations. Clinton ended the debate by criticizing Sanders for saying in an interview with MSNBC that Obama had failed the “presidential leadership test.”

By Friday, as Clinton traveled between South Carolina and Minnesota, her African-American allies in Congress seized upon comments the Vermont senator made at the debate insinuating that race relations would “absolutely” be better under Sanders.

One questioned the allegiances of Sanders, who is the longest serving independent in congressional history but running for president as a Democrat.

“He was never a Democrat. He is only a Democrat for convenience,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in an interview with The Associated Press. He accused Sanders of “dismissive and disrespectful behavior toward the president.”

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus's political action committee, said in a statement that Sanders wanted to “undo President Obama's accomplishments” and also pointed to the MSNBC interview, saying Sanders' “disparaging comments towards the president are misplaced, misguided and do not give credit.”

Sanders' campaign said the accusations showed a Clinton campaign still reeling from a sweeping loss earlier this week in New Hampshire and tightening races in Nevada and South Carolina. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said Clinton's campaign was “getting very nervous and is becoming increasingly negative and desperate. The simple truth is that there are very few in Congress who have a stronger civil rights record than Senator Sanders.”