Obama picks up key Edwards supporter

[ProSense]

Obama picks up key Edwards supporter

The Service Employees International Union, which had backed Edwards' failed presidential big, endorses Obama. The Illinois senator says he has asked his former rival for an endorsement, too.

By Maria L. La Ganga and Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
11:12 AM PST, February 1, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama today picked up the support of a key California union that had backed one of his failed opponents for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The state council of the Service Employees International Union has decided to back Obama after its first choice, former Sen. John Edwards dropped out this week, spokeswoman Jeanine Meyer Rodriguez said in a telephone interview.

"Basically we think that there are really good candidates in this election, and a lot of good energy," she said of Obama and his principal rival New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was campaigning today in California.

"We believe that Obama best advances our vision for a new America, united in hope," Rodriguez said in explaining why the union decided to back the Illinois senator. Annelle Grajeda, president of the group, formally announced the decision this morning.

The 650,000-member state union represents employees including nurses, janitors and home care workers. It is especially strong in the Latino community, a key voting bloc in Tuesday's primary in California and some 20 other contests across the nation.

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[debatepro]

1. alot of edwards high profile support moving to obama

I wish Edwards... would follow his biggest followers to obama before super tuesday... We need the mo...

[ellisonz]

2. The SEIU is huge and influential in California.

[my3boyz]

3. Do the members

have to vote for who the union endorses? Trying not to get my hopes up after what the members of the culinary union did in Nevada.

[movonne]

5. No they don't have to vote for whoever the unions pick, but it does

help ones that have not made a choice...I know the Kennedy endorsement put me firmly in the obama corner...I was a little dubious about him...I was an edwards supporter and still would be if he were in...

[Cant trust em]

4. 1.9 million members

Got this off of the SEIU website.

The Service Employees International Union is the largest and fastest growing union in North America, focused on uniting workers in the key service sectors to improve their lives and the services they provide. The 1.9 million members united in SEIU across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico work in four service industry “divisions”: