UAW endorses Hackett for Senate (over Brown)

[jefferson_dem]

Ohio's largest labor union endorsed Paul Hackett on Friday, choosing the political newcomer over recognized labor champion Rep. Sherrod Brown in the Democratic primary.

The United Auto Workers said its 17 area councils and 10 at-large representatives had voted 26-1 for Hackett, two days after the Cleveland AFL-CIO voted to continue its long-standing practice of backing Brown.

UAW Ohio President Lloyd Mahaffey said his union, which is affiliated with AFL-CIO nationally but not on the state level, wasn't rejecting Brown as much as it felt Hackett has a better chance of gaining Republican and independent support to win against incumbent Republican Sen. Mike DeWine.

He said Hackett, an Iraq war veteran, showed he had the charisma and crossover appeal when he got 48 percent of the vote in a special congressional election this summer, in one of the most conservative districts in the country.

Brown said he would be undeterred by the news.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MURTHA_FUNDRAISING?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=customwire.htm

[MercutioATC]

1. I'm really surprised (and happy) with the early endorsement.

Especially in light of Sherrod's snittiness about these things, I'd have expected them to wait for the general to endorse.

Good for them!

[Algorem]

2. You have to admit,the UAW's been doing a heckuva job.

http://democracyguy.typepad.com/democracy_guy_grassroots_/2005/10/ohio_uaw_about_.html

Ohio UAW About To Endorse Hackett
Rumor has it that the Ohio UAW is about to endorse Paul Hackett for US Senate. You could look at this one of two ways. Either this starts Paul Hackett cooking with gas, or it's a kiss of death. I'm goin' with kiss of death.

The kiss of death argument rests mainly on the track record of organized labor in statewide Democratic primary races. The most notorious disaster was in 1994, when practically the entire labor movement got behind Joel Hyatt for US Senate, and Rob Burch for Governor, a major factor which yielded the most humiliating collapse in Ohio Democratic Party history that fall.

How would a UAW endorsment play for Hackett? The Ohio UAW has been pretty dysfunctional lately. It's former Cleveland area director, Warren Davis, pulled one of the most ridiculous, bizarre stunts of all time when he said he would retire, changed his mind, and ran briefly for Congress in 2002. The current Ohio UAW region director, Llyod Mahaffee, hasn't been a real big fan of Sherrod Brown. Who knows where this leads. One thing is for sure...Hackett will make a big stink about it.


http://www.laboreducator.org/darkpast.htm

" "It's generally understood that there's been some ill will between Brown and Mahaffey and everyone's uncertain the exact reason why," he said."(?)

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/13426116.htm

[snowbear]

3. Awesome!!

GOooooOO Major Hackett! :hug:

[wiley]

4. What a great endorsement.

I hope we don't spend too much money defeating the Repukes here.