Dean's labor backers concerned
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Howard Dean has some explaining to do to the labor unions that have spent millions supporting a seemingly unstoppable presidential campaign that is now struggling. At the same time, nearly two dozen other unions that backed Dick Gephardt before he dropped out are shopping around for another candidate.
Dean, who doesn't expect to win any of Tuesday's contests, will explain his strategy for staying in the race during meetings later this week with his three labor backers: the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Service Employees International Union and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
"I expect frank, honest discussion" about Dean's troubled campaign, "and determining the best course of action going forward," said Sean McGarvey, political director of the painters union. Whether that means shifting or pulling back resources remains to be seen, he said.
Meanwhile, other unions are exploring a political future with John Kerry and John Edwards. Some presidents of unions that endorsed Gephardt are meeting with Edwards in Columbia, South Carolina, on Tuesday, and with Kerry in Boston on Thursday.
"It's too early to tell what will come out of the meetings," said Teamsters spokesman Bret Caldwell.
The Teamsters, along with nearly two dozen other unions that supported Gephardt, formed the Alliance for Economic Justice to focus on trade and other issues.
Caldwell said the alliance does not have to endorse another candidate to continue promoting its platform, "but there certainly could be an endorsement down the line." He did not rule out individual union endorsements that could follow the meetings.
Organized labor's manpower and money are important political weapons for Democrats, but Iowa showed that unions can't always be counted on to turn out voters for a candidate. The two union-backed candidates expected to dominate the state's caucuses, Dean and Gephardt, finished third and fourth. Then Gephardt quit.
"It's difficult when you lose the first two. You go in with high expectations and you get demoralized. You've got to rev up the troops," said Larry Scanlon, AFSCME's political director.
AFSCME has spent about $1 million on polling, ads and get-out-the-vote efforts for Dean. Its political action committee has spent more than $1.7 million. SEIU also has spent about $1 million.
SEIU President Andy Stern said his union, the largest in the AFL-CIO, is financially committed through the Wisconsin primary February 17, but noted that Dean needs to start winning if he wants to be the nominee.
"As Dr. Dean has said, he wants to win, he's not here as a protest candidate," Stern said. "At some point he's going to have to decide if he's getting enough delegates and does he have a strategy to win."
Dean's campaign recognizes the unions' concern.
"Obviously people are nervous," said Bob Muehlenkamp, Dean's senior labor adviser. "Obviously they'd rather be in a different situation strategically. Obviously people have doubts and hesitations when you aren't winning elections and getting votes."
After finishing third in Iowa last month, Dean's lead in New Hampshire evaporated into a second-place finish. Dean has said he doesn't expect to win any of the seven contests on Tuesday, with the possible exception of New Mexico.
His strategy is to do well enough to win delegates this weekend in Michigan, Washington state and Maine while other candidates spend themselves out of the race. Then he hopes to become front-runner Kerry's last-standing rival in Wisconsin and beyond.
A major reason the unions are sticking with Dean is credibility. They want their endorsements to have political heft in the future by showing that they honor their commitments.
"We have never been shy about backing a candidate," said Scanlon, noting that AFSCME stood with Bill Clinton in 1992 throughout his rocky primary start. "We thought he was the guy who could carry the banner. This time we thought Howard Dean would be that person -- and he still may be. But you've got to take a stand and fight for what you believe, and that's what we're doing."
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