Saturday, Mayor Bill de Blasio made his third trip in three months to Orangeburg, South Carolina, a city with a population of just 14,000. One reason for the attention is his close relationship with the city's mayor, Michael Butler.

"Let's hope and pray, and let's introduce, hopefully our president of the United States," Butler said.

Butler's endorsement was the first of de Blasio’s presidential campaign.  

"I'm just so proud to endorse Mayor de Blasio because I believe that he will do a good job, and his message is putting working people first. That's what moved me," Butler said.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day, but you know when it starts to get built, you know when the foundation stones are laid, and this is one of those moments for us, to get such an important figure in the state of South Carolina on our side," de Blasio said.

Orangeburg is a predominantly black city in a state with a predominantly black Democratic primary electorate. Unlike his last visit here two weeks ago, de Blasio was joined by First Lady Chirlane McCray, who talked about mental health issues and how the two fell in love.

"He could hang with my family, you know, and we would get along just fine because he sees us, he knows us," McCray said.

But both pushed back on the idea that the first lady's mere appearance could win votes.

"No one came up to me after this and said, 'Talk to me, talk to you about your blackness.' They want to talk about mental health," McCray said.

"It's not about the color of our skins. It is about who we are as people. It's about the fact that we have a loving, supportive family," de Blasio said.

The mayor's second and final campaign stop was at Outfest, an LGBT-focused street festival in Columbia, South Carolina, where the mayor and first lady talked about the city's efforts to support and protect LGBT rights.

"When people get to choose their own gender identity, the world keeps going on just fine. And we prove it every single day," de Blasio said.

De Blasio may also be getting some support back home. He told reporters Saturday we'll be hearing soon about some New York endorsements..