Edwards Fails to Capture Endorsement from Unions
According to the Boston Globe:
John Edwards spent four years positioning himself to be labor's candidate, walking picket lines, helping workers organize, and folding duvets with hotel maids.
But his efforts did not secure the coveted backing of the 1.9-million-member Service Employees International Union, one of the country's largest labor federations, which decided last week not to make a national endorsement for the Democratic primaries.
The decision reflects skepticism about Edwards's ability to capture the nomination, as well as the influence of large SEIU memberships in Illinois and New York, which back their home-state candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, respectively. The SEIU's move also shows the aggressive efforts by all the candidates to court labor and address their key issues.
"If you're not sure you have a winner, and you're going to tick off your own folks, then you have to stop and pause and ask whether it's worth it," said Joshua Freeman, a labor historian at the City University of New York.
Political analysts say Edwards had been counting on the SEIU endorsement to provide momentum and boost his credibility. Despite their declining membership, the ability of unions to organize workers, set up phone banks, and reach voters remain important assets. According to several labor leaders, SEIU was prepared to spend as much as $10 million for the primary, a sum that would have helped fill the void for Edwards, who has limited spending now that he has agreed to accept public financing, and trails Clinton in campaign cash as badly as he lags behind her in the polls.
The former North Carolina senator has wasted little time reacting to the setback. Just days after the SEIU said its state affiliates for the first time could begin making separate endorsements starting tomorrow, Edwards announced plans to triple his campaign staff in Nevada, a state with an early primary where labor is powerful. Yesterday, he met privately with SEIU leaders in New Hampshire. Tomorrow, he is expected to pick up SEIU backing in Iowa and other states.
"This is harder for the campaigns and a lot more work. The support is diffuse," said Gary Smith, president of the State Employees' Association of New Hampshire, SEIU Local 1984. "But now there is a lot more of a focus by candidates at the state level and our members love the attention."...click to continue.
