AFL-CIO's Internal Polling Shows Dramatic Gains For Obama Among Rust Belt Union Members
By Greg Sargent - October 29, 2008, 10:00AM
In another sign of key movement in his direction, Barack Obama has dramatically improved his standing with three key constituencies in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to internal polling conducted by the AFL-CIO that an official shares with us.
AFL spokesperson Steve Smith says the union federation will release some numbers later this morning that show jumps in Obama's support among three groups of union members in those three states: Gun owners, veterans, and retirees. Smith sends over an advance look at the numbers:
Among union gun owners, it's now 58-30 Obama, up from 48-41 in early September, a 21 point jump.
Among veterans we're at 58-32, up from 49-41 in early September, an 18 point jump.
And among retirees, we're now at 59-31, up from 52-37, a 14 point improvement, nearly double the margin.
Smith adds that AFL polling also shows big gains for union members overall in those three states:
In Ohio, Obama now has a 29-point advantage (61%-32%) over McCain among union members, an improvement of 16 points since August.
In Pennsylvania, Obama's support has risen 22 points to a 63%-27% advantage.
In Michigan, Obama now holds a commanding 68%-23% lead among union members, up 26 points.
If these numbers bear out, this is a pretty big deal, because union voters comprise a big chunk of the vote in Rust Belt states. Obama's apparent gains underscore yet again the big role union organizing in the swing states played in filling the vacuum left by the relative lack of outside group activity on the left this year.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/afl-ciois_internal_polling_sho.php
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