AFL-CIO Hints At Endorsement

Denise Mitchell, a senior adviser to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, sent a memo to reporters about the AFL-CIO endorsement process:

On the eve of Tuesday’s big primaries, I want to be sure everybody knows where the AFL-CIO is on presidential endorsement. As most of you know, some of the unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO strongly support Sen. Clinton and others strongly support Sen. Obama. Earlier, some of our affiliates endorsed John Edwards. Most of our 56 national union affiliates have not made a primary endorsement. Respecting the varying views of our affiliated unions, we have not endorsed.

We will make an endorsement when we are certain it will lead to our strongest, broadest, most vigorous grassroots general election mobilization ever. We run the biggest independent political program in the country among our 19.5 million AFL-CIO working family voters.

Our over-riding focus is on Nov. 4 – and making sure it turns our country in a different direction. Not a McCain direction. Last week we began putting together grassroots counter-events to expose and protest the economic plans of John McCain, with events in Cleveland and
Cincinnati. We’re driving a major campaign to oppose the McCain agenda.

In addition to the presidential race, the AFL-CIO will campaign in every viable Senate race and some 70 house races. In all the AFL-CIO will be involved in more than 525 races nationwide, including Senate, House and state legislative races.