AFL-CIO holds off endorsing '08 Democrat: "all the candidates are impressive"

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CNN/AP: Wed August 8, 2007
AFL-CIO holds off endorsing '08 Democrat


The Democratic frontrunners, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, speak before the AFL-CIO forum Tuesday.

CHICAGO (AP) -- The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest federation of labor unions, has postponed making an unanimous endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary, freeing its 55 unions to choose for themselves from the eight contenders.

"There is not a consensus candidate," Karen Ackerman, political director of the AFL-CIO, said Wednesday, one day after the candidates tried to impress union leaders at a presidential forum.

The Democratic hopefuls now will increase their lobbying efforts on the AFL-CIO's unions -- representing some 10 million workers -- in hopes of picking up key endorsements. Several unions already have made plans to endorse one of the eight after Labor Day.

"It is clear that a number of the Democratic candidates have the experience and the credentials to lead our nation," a statement from the federation's executive council said. "And it is equally clear that our members support a number of the candidates -- union members have told us all the candidates are impressive and they are eager to support many of them. For this reason, the AFL-CIO has decided not to proceed with a decision process that would lead to support for a single candidate at this time."

Many expected the AFL-CIO to delay a decision following Tuesday night's presidential forum at Chicago's Soldier Field. Seven of the eight Democratic candidates participated, including leading candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, and all seemed to have some support among the crowd of some 17,000 that included union members and their families....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/08/afl.cio.endorsement.ap/index.html