Michigan rally will see Gephardt endorse ex-rival Kerry

AP ^ | 2-5-03 | RON FOURNIER and LEIGH STROPE

[Dan from Michigan]

Michigan rally will see Gephardt endorse ex-rival Kerry

By RON FOURNIER and LEIGH STROPE
The Associated Press
2/5/2004, 11:49 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) — John Kerry secured the endorsement of former presidential rival Dick Gephardt on Thursday, a blockbuster embrace that paid immediate dividends for the Democratic front-runner's bid to rally organized labor behind his candidacy.

Kerry spokesman David Wade said the Missouri lawmaker will give Kerry his backing on Friday in Warren and Flint, Mich.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and its U.S. senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, have endorsed Kerry. The state holds its Democratic caucuses Saturday.

Wade confirmed the endorsement as two labor officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an alliance of labor groups formed by the Teamsters and more than a dozen industrial unions planned to endorse Kerry. The Alliance for Economic Justice made the decision after a morning meeting in Boston, where Kerry began his day.

A Democratic official, familiar with the talks, said Gephardt urged the group to back Kerry. The coalition was formed in the fall by unions that supported Gephardt after it became clear that some of the larger public and service sector unions did not want to give him a laborwide endorsement from the AFL-CIO. They include the steelworkers, laborers, machinists, ironworkers and others.

Kerry has tightened his grip on the front-runner title with back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire and victories in five of the seven states that voted on Tuesday. The Gephardt endorsement caps a series of endorsements for Kerry Thursday, including Levin, Stabenow, Maine's governor, former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, D-Maine.

Howard Dean, the race's front-runner just six weeks ago, is in danger of losing support from three major unions backing him — the Services Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

Although they have publicly pledged to back Dean at least through the Feb. 17 Wisconsin primary, labor sources say the unions' leaders are discussing how much — and how much longer — to support the former Vermont governor.

Kerry's new labor endorsements won't be announced until next week or the following. Presidents of the unions wanted time to brief their members before making the endorsement public, the sources said.

Gephardt dropped out of the race last month after a fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. He said at the time he intended to support the party's nominee, but said he had no immediate plans to endorse any of the contenders.

Gephardt, the 14-term congressman, gained the support of more than 20 unions with more than 5 million members. He failed in a bid to win the backing of the AFL-CIO, though, when Dean collected the support of SEIU and AFSCME, two of the largest members of the labor federation.

[Dan from Michigan]

A sinator who loves NAFTA, GATT, and MFN for China, who married into money and never lived with 'workin' men' in his life....okay..

[ClintonBeGone]

Ironic the Governor of this state, who blames the current President for hundreds of jobs lost in this state, has endorsed Kerry, the guy who wants to put GM & FORD out of business with highter fuel standards. Whats up with that Danno?

[quantim]

In any advanced civilization somebody still needs to take out the garbage. One thug to another the Peter Principle is passed on.

[Dan from Michigan]

Maybe Jenny wants to get her husband Dan Mulhern a cabinent spot? I don't know.

[quantim]

Much worse. She's born in Canada. She rails about jobs and inherited a pretty good state of the state. Union support these days is preaching to the choir, who cares.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The Kennedy Borg Faction are aligning behind Kerry. I wonder what the Hitlery Mothership Borg will have to say about that. We should find out after the Spring/Summer polls.

[LADY J]

Kerry/Gephardt ticket!

[adam_az]

So, the guy who had so little support he was the first to drop out of the race before it even really got going gave him an endorsement.

I'm sure that Kerry is grateful for all 7 of Gephardts supporters. Oh, 8. I forgot Barbara Streisand.

[PGalt]

Thanks for the laugh...ahhh post.

[counterpunch]

[freebilly]

a blockbuster embrace that paid immediate dividends for the Democratic front-runner's bid to rally organized labor behind his candidacy.

Some blockbuster. The Union support was so good that Gephardt could have counted his votes in the primaries without taking off his shoes....

[Mo1]

When's Gore gonna give Kerry a call and endorse him?

[IndyTiger]

Kerry/Gephardt ticket!

Yep, Gephardt is probably on the short list. He would give Kerry a boost in the rust belt states (MI, OH, IL, etc.) where the battle for the White House will be won or lost.

[RushLake]

In addition, Lenin is one of the most powerful senators in Washington due to his many years there. He does nothing to bring back federal dollars that we've sent in taxes to Washington. He and his cohort Stabemall stood by and let Kerry and Kennedy take piles of all of the tax payer's money home to Boston to pay for the way over priced "big dig". The Michigan soccer mommies and their limp wristed significant others, africanhyphenamericans, and organized labor worship at the feet of Jenny from the block and her two partners in crime.

[jrlc]

Kerry accepts another endorsement -- from Daniel Ortega, with the blessing of the Harkins:

[jrlc]

Kerry and his top advisor discuss the way to BRIDGE the endorsements to include Don Imus of MSNBC:

[WhiteGuy]

Here in Ohio, WE don't use the "M" word