Obama wins endorsement of SEIU Nevada
By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY
Associated Press WriterLAS VEGAS (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has won the endorsement of the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union, union officials said.
The influential union claims to represent 17,500 health care and county workers in Nevada. Its executive board approved the decision in a conference call Tuesday night, shortly after the Illinois senator finished a close second behind Hillary Rodham Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
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by David Plouffe
Wednesday, January 09, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Coming off an impressive win in Iowa and taking the once inevitable frontrunner down to the wire in her firewall state, it is clear that Obama is well-positioned to become the next President of the United States. As the people of Iowa and New Hampshire demonstrated, the American people desperately want change they can believe in. Barack Obama is the candidate to deliver that change by bringing people together, standing up to the special interests, and telling people what they need to know.Our campaign now turns its focus squarely to Nevada and South Carolina, and February 5th. Today, we kick off the next phase of our campaign in New Jersey, an important February 5th state.
Fundraising
In the 4th Quarter of 2007, our campaign raised $23.5 million – over $22.5 million of which is for the primary election. In that quarter, we added 111,000 new donors for a total of 475,000 donors in 2007.In the first 8 days of 2008, we raised over $8 million and gained 35,000 new donors. Since midnight last night, we have raised another $500,000 online. We continue to build a grassroots movement that makes us best-positioned to compete financially in the primaries and caucuses coming up.
Nevada
We have built the same caucus operation in Nevada as we did in Iowa, with focused and effective precinct captains in over 95 percent of the precincts in the state, and multiple captains in many precincts. We have also been reaching deep into the electorate, securing commitments to caucus from habitual Democratic voters, general election voting Democrats and Independents.In a significant boost to our efforts, we received the endorsement of the SEIU local in Nevada late last night.
This is the first time Nevada has had a precinct caucus so organization is paramount, both in terms of shaping the overall electorate as well as the added challenge of getting voters to locations that are unfamiliar to them.
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anyone know how it works? It’s caucuses, right? Is it as lousy as system as Iowa?
First, you get free drinks. Second, if you stay long enough at the caucus, they comp you a room.
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p>I heard you play the “0” in Roulette, they call it a “Richardson.”
I’m usually at the $5 table.
Even if the polling is there. The only state that could be a romp is Michigan because Obama and Edwards withdrew from the ballot.
It totally baffles me why a union would endorse a candidate who has a fundamental misunderstanding of the labor movement.
A union endorsement! Just like Gephardt had in 2004. Especially one where a great portion of the executive board disagreed.
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p>Hillary got endorsed by Nevada’s sole Democratic Congresscritter, her campaign in the Silver State is in the hands of Harry Reid’s sun, and she got the endorsement of the state’s largest Latino paper.
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p>Plus, Richardson is pulling out, and not too many of us are going to go from “most experienced” to Obama.
She also has tv personality and Mayor Oscar Goodman on her side, which certainly helps in a caucus state. Now the question is can he get Molly Sims (tv’s “Las Vegas”) out for HRC as well?
Oscar Goodman is a pretty strong “get”, actually.
Before I did a double take. Anyone remember what that name was from?
Goodness knows, we have had the Six Million Dollar Candidates for years now.