Teamsters endorse Obama for president

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, officially endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president Wednesday.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer spoke exclusively with Teamsters president Jim Hoffa on Wednesday.

"We came to the conclusion that Barack Obama gives us the opportunity to rebuild America and win in November," Hoffa said.

"This endorsement is an important endorsement for him. He's excited about what it means to him in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas ... it's going to be important to all of labor and the American people," he added.

The endorsement decision follows a meeting in Austin, Texas, between Hoffa and Obama, and completes a months-long process that included scientific polling of Teamster members, surveys of local union and joint council leaders and deliberations by the union's democratically elected General Executive Board, according to the union's press release.

When asked about criticisms over Obama's inexperience, Hoffa said the union looks at the Illinois senator "as a person who can lead and surround himself with the very best people."

And as for why the union didn't endorse Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"This is not about the Clintons, this is about Obama and the momentum he has that I think everybody detects out there that we really have a phenomenon of him having the opportunity to win in November and to basically remake America and speaking out on issues that resonate with our members," Hoffa said.

Hoffa said the union, which has a history of supporting both Democratic and Republican candidates, chose not to support Sen. John McCain because he is "lock-step with the Bush administration. ... I think America has had enough of that and that's why we can't support McCain."

The 1.4 million-member Teamsters union is the third labor organization to throw its support behind the senator from Illinois in less than a week.

The 1.9 million-member Service Employees International Union endorsed him Friday and the 1.3-million member United Food and Commercial Workers Union endorsed him Thursday.

A union's endorsement can give a candidate's campaign a significant boost because union members often act as "ground troops" to canvass neighborhoods and work the phones.

Obama has been on a political roll since Super Tuesday two weeks ago. He has won 10 straight Democratic contests, including the Wisconsin primary and Hawaii caucuses on Tuesday.

The union endorsement could help Obama in his race against Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, particularly among the lower-income voters Clinton is targeting.

Exit polls of Wisconsin voters suggest Obama won over some blue collar voters, a group that voted for Clinton in previous primaries and caucuses.

Among Wisconsin voters making between $15,000 and $30,000 a year, Obama edged out Clinton 52 percent to 46 percent. Among voters making between $30,000 and $50,000, Obama had a 56 percent to 44 percent advantage.

The Teamsters backing may also help Obama in Ohio, which holds primaries on March 4, and Pennsylvania, which holds its primary on April 22.

According to The Associated Press, Ohio and Pennsylvania have some of the highest levels of unionization in the country. More than 15 percent of the Pennsylvania work force and more than 14 percent of the Ohio workforce is unionized.

There is no guarantee, however, that a big union endorsement will lead to a candidate carrying a state.

Before the Nevada caucuses in January, Obama won the support of the Culinary Workers Union and the Service Employees International Union of Nevada. Clinton, however, carried the state over Obama, by 51 percent to 45 percent. E-mail to a friend

CNN's Candy Crowley contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

All About International Brotherhood of Teamsters • Barack Obama

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