WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton has won the endorsement of the Women's Chamber of Commerce, giving her the public backing of a large organization of female entrepreneurs as she works to make women's economic issues central to her campaign.

The group represents about 500,000 female business owners, executives and workers. Their support for Clinton marks their first public endorsement of a presidential candidate. Much of the group's work focuses on increasing capital and access to federal contracts for female-owned companies as well as the number of women in leadership positions.

"For our detailed review, one candidate — Hillary Clinton — stands head and shoulders above the rest," said CEO Margot Dorfman, in a statement. "The election of Hillary Clinton as President of the United States will unleash the economic power of women and forge a bold new potential for every woman in America."

The endorsement comes as Clinton holds a female-focused campaign event in New Hampshire, a state where many of the top political positions are held by women.

Clinton has made expanding the economic clout of women with policies like paid family leave and equal pay a central theme of her campaign. Unlike during her 2008 presidential campaign, when Clinton shied away from focusing heavily on her gender, she often touts her potential to make history as the nation's first female president on the campaign trail.