The campaign for Mike Gravel, the 89-year-old former senator from Alaska whose 2020 presidential bid is being run by teenagers, touted on Friday an endorsement from Muntadher al-Zaidi, the Iraqi broadcast journalist best known for throwing shoes at President George W. Bush in Dec. 2008.

In a subsequent piece for The Guardian, al-Zaidi wrote: “When I threw the shoe in the face of the criminal, George Bush, I wanted to express my rejection of his lies, his occupation of my country, my rejection of his killing my people. My rejection of his plundering the wealth of my country, and destroying its infrastructure. And casting out its sons into a diaspora.”

“Mr. al-Zaidi’s action is a symbol of the Iraqi people’s resilience and pride,” Gravel campaign press secretary Marlon Ettinger said. “We’re honored to have his support. As we try to qualify for the July debates, we could not be prouder of this campaign's ally in Baghdad.”

Gravel’s campaign said that when al-Zaidi was sent his issue platform, he wished “for your success in the elections” and asked that an endorsement be announced via press release. He later tweeted confirmation of the endorsement.