Obama Gets Help in Pennsylvania from SEIU

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Obama Gets Help in Pennsylvania
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: April 8, 2008

Senator Barack Obama is receiving significant help in Pennsylvania from the Service Employees International Union and an affiliated health care local, pumping $976,000 into the state in door-to-door canvassing for him.

In the Iowa caucuses, Mr. Obama, of Illinois, criticized such outside support, calling it an underhanded effort that benefited his rivals, who received strong support from outside groups, mainly unions.

But Mr. Obama, flush with cash, has remained silent about the help he has received from the politically active S.E.I.U. To date, the union has spent $5.2 million on his behalf in several states, and its 1,199 hospital affiliates have added $513,000 for the campaign effort.

By comparison, since Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York announced her candidacy, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has spent $2.3 million on efforts to support her, and the American Federation of Teachers $1.7 million, Federal Election Commission records show.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/us/politics/08punion.html

[bluestateguy]

1. I thought Obama was the elitist yuppie candidate

All those latte drinking elitists in Change to Win, SEIU, the Teamsters, etc.

[notesdev]

2. Wow

The SEIU is a HUGE deal in PA. If things continue to trend this way he may possibly win the state outright (and put the lie to Rendell's claims about Pennsylvanians being too racist to vote for a black person).