Joe Erwin, former SC Dem party chair, backing Obama for nomination

[babylonsister]

Erwin backing Obama for nomination

Updated: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 2:02 pm

By Dan Hoover
STAFF WRITER
[e-mail]

Barack Obama has won the Joe Erwin lottery.

The Greenville advertising executive and former state Democratic Party chairman said today that he’s endorsing the Illinois senator.

Erwin’s endorsement had been aggressively sought by all of the Democratic contenders.

The endorsement, a long time in the making, came after "lengthy discussions" involved at least four calls from Obama, the first when his term as party chairman was ending last spring, Erwin told GreenvilleOnline.com

"I’m very much impressed with him as a candidate...(who) brings a freshness to the political landscape, a new excitement that I believe will help us unite the country, not politics as usual. He can bring independent people who are not real partisan to look at his vision for America and the world in a way that will help us get things done without the daggers for each other," Erwin said.

The potential 2010 candidate for governor said he has the "highest respect" for the other candidates whom he described as "terrific," each capable of being a top-flight president.

Erwin campaigned for Bill Clinton’s election as president in 1992 and re-election in 1996.

He said his support for Obama isn’t just an endorsement announcement, but will involve actively campaigning for him in South Carolina and perhaps Iowa and New Hampshire.

more...

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071212/NEWS01/71212025/1004