Chicago ? Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said Thursday he’s backing Democrat Barack Obama in his presidential bid, giving his support to a new generation of black politicians.

“He has my vote,” the Rev. Jackson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Jackson sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, winning 13 primaries and caucuses in 1988. His son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, already endorsed Obama.

Jackson has a long history with one of Obama’s chief rivals, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and her husband, former President Clinton. He counseled the two when the president’s affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky became public.