Union spends $1.6 million to help Dean
 |
Dean looks at newspaper on Tuesday while waiting for a television interview at his headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Story Tools
| PRIMARY DAY ON CNN TV | 
Watch CNN-USA's ongoing extensive coverage of the results of the New Hampshire presidential primary, to stay up to the minute on all the candidates' reactions and plans.
|
VIDEO
|
Polls are open and a large turnout is predicted in the New Hampshire primary.
|
SPECIAL REPORT
|
|
|
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A government employees union is spending at least $1.6 million to try to get nonunion members out to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean in several of the nation's early primaries.
Most of that -- $1.3 million -- has been spent by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees' political action committee over the past few weeks on ads, polling, phone banks, mailings and other primary activities.
Activities of the AFSCME's People Qualified PAC so far have focused on Iowa, which held its presidential caucuses last week; South Carolina, New Mexico and Arizona, which vote February 3; Michigan, which has its primary February 7; and Wisconsin, which votes February 17.
The PAC is spending the money independently of Dean's campaign, which means it can spend as much as it wants to recruit Dean voters.
It is unusual for an interest group such as Democratic-leaning AFSCME's political action committee to devote so much money to a primary involving a political party it supports. That's particularly so when all the candidates are sympathetic to the PAC's causes and a costly general election fight against President Bush is coming up.
Ricky Feller, the PAC's director, said Dean, whom AFSCME endorsed, is worth it.
"We think he is the most electable," Feller said. "I think some of the other contenders naturally have good labor records, but we think he is the most electable and has the best shot of defeating Bush."
The PAC's resources come at a critical time for Dean.
Despite support from AFSCME and other key unions, the former Vermont governor and former front-runner for the Democratic nomination finished third behind Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards in Iowa. He also has been placing well behind Kerry in various polls in New Hampshire, which holds the nation's first primary Tuesday.
Dean also has scaled back his advertising to focus on New Hampshire and is prepared to re-evaluate his spending after that. Dean raised a Democratic record $41 million last year -- almost double the total of his nearest money rival, Kerry -- but will not say how much he has left.
The AFSCME PAC has spent its $1.6 million since late November.
It is reaching out to non-AFSCME members, while the union itself focuses on get-out-the-vote efforts involving the union rank and file. The two are barred under campaign finance rules from coordinating spending plans with each other or with the Dean campaign.
Copyright 2004 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
