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AFL-CIO endorses Gore for Democratic nomination
October 13, 1999 LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- On a voice vote, the AFL-CIO Wednesday endorsed the candidacy of Vice President Al Gore for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000. The formal endorsement was a major victory for Gore, who successfully beat back a challenge by former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey, his only competition for the Democratic nomination. Gore arrived at the convention about 40 minutes after the vote. He hugged union delegates and executive council members and thanked the labor federation with "a full heart." "With the AFL-CIO by my side, we're going to win this nomination next summer and we're going to win this election in the year 2000," Gore said. But some member unions, including the powerful Teamsters Union and United Auto Workers, have indicated they are withholding their individual endorsement for now. But Teamsters President James Hoffa told the delegates, "I assure you the Teamsters Union will be a strong force in electing the next president of the United States." The endorsement was a critical win for the problem-plagued Gore campaign. Gore aides are counting on an all-out grassroots campaign for their candidate by union members, who represent a healthy percentage of Democratic voters in key primary states like New Hampshire, New York and California. Bradley and his supporters had mounted an intensive effort to persuade the AFL-CIO from making an endorsement at this time. And while many union representatives see little difference between Gore and Bradley on key issues like trade, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney was able to persuade them that Gore was the more electable Democrat in the long run. Many union representatives have told CNN they were supporting Gore out of deference to Sweeney and his leadership, rather than a wholehearted embrace of Gore's candidacy. The endorsement of Gore is be one of the earliest presidential endorsements by the AFL-CIO since it gave former Vice President Walter Mondale the nod in 1983. An early endorsement also reflects the accelerated nature of the 2000 presidential election. The executive council -- made up of presidents of the AFL-CIO's largest unions -- and the full convention of some 700 delegates vote Wednesday. Gore was planning for a victorious acceptance speech at the Los Angeles Convention Center after those votes. "We'll start now, meeting with state federations in Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, California, Ohio, Michigan -- a bunch of the early primary states -- to put in place the mechanisms for mobilizing union members. We know how to produce a vote,"AFL-CIO political director Steve Rosenthal said earlier in the week. Bradley's campaign has been gaining steam in recent weeks. A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll released Monday showed Bradley gaining nine points among all Democrats nationwide. Bradley still trails Gore by double digits, but Gore's 51 percent to 39 percent edge is significantly smaller than the 63 percent to 30 percent advantage he enjoyed a month ago. |
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MORE STORIES:Wednesday, October 13, 1999
• Voting on test ban treaty growing more likely • Independent counsel investigation of Babbitt ends with no charges • AFL-CIO endorses Gore for Democratic nomination • Clinton moves to protect 40 million acres of unspoiled forests • First couple hosts millennium evening • Senate turns aside filibuster threat on farm aid • House passes bill to tighten 'date rape' drug restrictions • Alabama rejects governor's plan for a lottery • Colorado governor, lieutenant governor settle feud | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
