Clinton, Dodd Win National Labor Union Endorsements

[Sapphire Blue]

Clinton, Dodd Win National Labor Union Endorsements
Kristin Jensen and Kim Chipman
Tue Aug 28, 6:58 PM ET

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd won the first major endorsements from national unions, boosting their bids for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Clinton today got the backing of the United Transportation Union, which represents 125,000 retirees and railroad, bus and mass transit workers. The International Association of Fire Fighters, made up of more than 281,000 firefighters and paramedics, will endorse Dodd tomorrow, his campaign said.

The announcements represented a coup for each candidate as labor leaders have so far held back from endorsements in the 2008 race for the White House. Union members represent one of the biggest sources of money and votes for Democrats.

For Clinton, the backing ``offers a sign that she can win the support of an important economic constituency in the party,'' said Julian Zelizer, a history and public affairs professor at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The support for Dodd offers ``some credibility'' for a lagging campaign, he said.

While the endorsements are only the first of many, they are a blow to former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who has built his campaign largely on an appeal to labor groups, Zelizer said.

(snip)

Edwards Response

Edwards works to ``lift up working families because it's the right thing to do,'' campaign spokeswoman Colleen Murray said in response. Edwards ``will continue to fight for universal health care, to raise the minimum wage, make college more affordable, reform our tax code, make sure our trade policies are smart and safe, and strengthen labor laws,'' she said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070828/pl_bloomberg/anneq05ry6o_1

[madrchsod]

1. edwards has done more for the working guys and gals

than hillary ever will....