No Democrat gets nod yet from labor group

WCAX TV ^ | 08/06/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

Chicago-AP -- There won't be any endorsement just yet from the A-F-L - C-I-O.

The labor group isn't going to decide right away which candidate to support for the Democratic presidential nomination.

At a meeting in Chicago, the group heard this week from Dick Gephardt -- who was hoping to get the endorsement -- and also from his competitors. Gephardt has already put together a lot of support from labor groups.

Only twice before has the A-F-L - C-I-O picked a favorite as Democrats competed for delegates. It gave the nod to Walter Mondale and later to Al Gore.

Labor leaders have acknowledged that Gephardt is the only Democrat who could win the support of at least two-thirds of the affiliates. They represent more than 13 (m) million rank-and-file members.

[My2Cents]

Only twice before has the A-F-L - C-I-O picked a favorite as Democrats competed for delegates. It gave the nod to Walter Mondale and later to Al Gore.

Clearly, the AFL-CIO is waiting for the obvious loser to emerge.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

As Bob Grant calls him...

little dickie ... said today that even if he does not gain the endorsement, labor endorses him.

[JohnnyZ]

Does anyone have a running total on how many of the 13 million Gephardt already has locked down? He has gotten several AFL-CIO-affiliated union endorsements that add up to a couple mil anyway.