A Portsmouth, N.H., rally will provide the backdrop Tuesday for the most highly anticipated appearance of the 2016 Democratic presidential race: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will share a local stage for the first time since February.
The event marks a major milestone for Clinton’s campaign, which has sought support from Sanders’ backers as the Vermonter has hesitated to offer his full endorsement to her.
Sanders is widely expected to endorse Clinton at the rally, but the presumptive nominee’s campaign has only confirmed she would appear with Sanders, and the Vermonter’s top aides have been similarly quiet about his plans for the event. According to local sources from both campaigns, the two camps continued to negotiate the terms of the rally in the final hours beforehand, including what Sanders would say about Clinton, as well as who would speak first.
Meanwhile, Clinton’s campaign is preparing to roll out the red carpet for Sanders’ supporters at the event, which is scheduled for late morning at Portsmouth High School. Sanders’ local steering committee members are invited to sit in a VIP section, and about two dozen of his supporters are scheduled to get their pictures taken with Clinton backstage.
If Sanders endorses Clinton, it would put to an end a primary that was unexpectedly long and, at times, testy. Clinton entered the 2016 presidential race with a large lead over Sanders in polling, but she struggled last fall as Sanders jumped ahead in the New Hampshire primary.
For Clinton, a Sanders endorsement means she could fully attempt to unite the Democratic Party behind her campaign for the general election. It would give her an advantage over the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, who is still working to make inroads with GOP voters who did not support him.
The Sanders-Clinton appearance is reminiscent of a similar rally in 2008, when Clinton and Barack Obama appeared on the same stage in Unity, N.H., for the first time since she endorsed his candidacy for the White House. That event had additional symbolism: Both candidates received the same number of votes in that town.
The seacoast city of Portsmouth offers no such backdrop: Sanders defeated Clinton by more than 800 votes there in the New Hampshire primary. On that day, Feb. 9, Sanders crushed Clinton statewide by 22 percentage points.
Their joint rally follows a flurry of weekend deal-making on the Democratic National Committee’s platform ahead of the party’s national convention in Philadelphia later this month.
With Clinton’s support, the party’s platform committee adopted several of Sanders’ proposals, including a $15 minimum wage. Clinton also introduced two new proposals that are similar to policies that Sanders has championed: free tuition at public colleges for students of families who make less than $125,000 annually, and expanding funding for community health centers.
Afterward, Sanders told reporters on a Saturday conference call, “I think it’s fair to say that the Clinton campaign and I, our campaign, are coming closer and closer together.’’
Local Sanders supporters are also finding a silver lining around the apparent end of the campaign that broke fund-raising records and won 22 state nominating contests.
“Given where we started I think we accomplished a lot,’’ said former New Hampshire state senator Burt Cohen, a prominent Sanders supporter. “This was never about Bernie as it was the political movement he talked about. Do I have concerns with Clinton? Yes. But I don’t know any Sanders supporters who would consider voting for Trump.’’
The delicate negotiations between top Clinton and Sanders staffers and activists began nearly two months ago, as it became increasingly clear that she would have the necessary delegates to win the presidential nomination.
Tuesday’s event marks the first time that Clinton and Sanders will share the stage in New Hampshire since a party event days before the primary in February. At that event, Sanders’ supporters jeered Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the state’s top Democrat and a Clinton supporter, when she delivered her speech to party activists.
Shaheen is also scheduled to address the crowd Tuesday in Portsmouth, where this time Democrats expect a welcome audience.
James Pindell can be reached at james.pindell@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jamespindell or subscribe to his daily e-mail update on the 2016 campaign at www.bostonglobe.com/ groundgame.
