The endorsements for the Senate from the website http://www.electionvolunteers.org were posted on MLN on Friday. Here are the candidates for the House of Representatives.
Again, they are in order by district. Entries with "***" in front are expected to be hard-fought races. In those cases a special effort was made to provide campaign contact information so that volunteers might easily sign up to work.
Please help by providing corrections, additions, disagreements...Thank you.
By making it an even closer race (according to multiple latest state polls) than ever before, Obama definitely has that ever crucial advantage right before Super Duper Tuesday--MOMENTUM.
California: Obama 45% vs. Clinton 41% (Zogby, Feb 2)
Missouri: Obama 44% vs. Clinton 43% (Zogby, Feb 2)
New Jersey: Obama 42% vs. Clinton 43% (Zogby, Feb 2)
And, is it just me or are most of the endorsements that are coming up in the news nowadays breaking for Mr. Barack Obama? Below are a few of these endorsements:
(Cast 2 votes for Jim Himes - here and DFA! - promoted by Jon Kantrowitz)
Russ Feingold's PAC, the Progressive Patriots Fund, has a suggest-a-candidate section that encourages supporters of progressive House and Senate candidates to put forth a name for endorsement.
Take this link and let's nominate Jim Himes to be a Progressive Patriots Fund endorsed candidate.
Joe Lieberman has told CongressDaily (subscription required) that he will support Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine in her 2008 reelection campaign. Collins had endorsed Lieberman last year when he was running for reelection. Moreover, Lieberman affirmed his previous statements that he might endorse a Republican for president and would not rule out a switch to the GOP.
"I'm going to support Sen. Collins' re-election," he said in an interview with CongressDaily reporters. Lieberman, who was re-elected last year as an independent but continues to caucus with Democrats, added that his leadership PAC has already made the maximum contribution of $5,000 to Collins' campaign.
"This is without regard to who the Democratic nominee would be," he said. "I would just feel that I was not being honest to myself and everything I've said about what our politics should be like now if, for partisan reasons, I didn't support somebody who I think is a great senator."
... Lieberman also reserved the option of endorsing a Republican for president in 2008 and repeated statements that he has not ruled out a future -- albeit unlikely -- switch to the Republican Party.
During the wide-ranging interview, Lieberman said he had not discussed his decision with Senate Majority Leader Reid. His staff did inform Reid's office of the plan Thursday; a spokesman for Reid declined to comment.
Lieberman acknowledged his support for Collins could shape the balance of power in the Senate, which Democrats control by a single vote. But he said his decision was ultimately driven by "the wonderful productive working relationship" the two have and the fact that she campaigned for his re-election last year. [Emphasis added]
There is no question that Lieberman shares no allegiance to the Democratic Party. I don't begrudge him that--he's no longer a Democrat because he failed to live up to the expectations of Connecticut's Democrats. We all know how angry he's been the last year, so this shouldn't strike us as a surprise.
But yet again the political miscalculations by Bill Clinton, Chuck Schumer, and Harry Reid about the possible fallout of Lieberman winning the general election on his own ticket are coming back to burn the Democratic Party. Clearly Lieberman pulled the wool over the eyes of big name Democratic leaders -- people who may have been able to force him out of the race by publicly condemning his decision to ignore the will of CT's voters -- and now Joe is operating with no regard to the Democratic Party's needs. Lieberman has done everything but join the GOP in name. He is an independent-in-name-only (IINO). He endorsed someone outside of his caucus without consideration of who the Democratic challenger would be and he's giving money to her reelection campaign--$5000, the exact same amount Ned Lamont received from Hillary Clinton and a handful of other Democratic senators.
Worse still, Lieberman understands the importance of Collins seat for the control of the Senate. He knows that her reelection will limit the Democrats' progress towards a filibuster-proof majority. He's making decisions that could dramatically affect the future chances for a Democratic president to pass Democratic legislation while cutting Harry Reid out of the loop of his decision. How exactly is Lieberman caucusing with the Democrats? What do Democrats gain by having him as a member of their caucus? Someone tell me, I do not know.
Today labor leaders representing over 193,000 working men and women across Connecticut announced the formation of Labor for Lamont. Participating unions include AFSCME, SEUI, AFT, CEA, Machinists, UAW and Teamsters.
Lamont's support among Labor continues to grow because of his support for universal health care, his commitment to fair trade and his real world experience of meeting a bottom line while providing health care and benefits to his employees.
"In my business I don't want to compete against some fly-by-night company that doesn't pay decent wages or provide health care," said Democratic Nominee for US Senate Ned Lamont. "To compete you need to know the rules and have a level playing field. That's why we need a change in our trade policies so our economic policies are working for the middle class."
"Senator Lieberman lost the AFL-CIO endorsement today," said Sharon Palmer of AFT. "Lamont fell just short of the two thirds majority needed for the full endorsement but he has over 193,000 workers standing here with him today ready to work to bring his message of change across Connecticut."
"We're proud to stand behind a candidate with the courage to stand up for change and working families," said Robert Madore of UAW. "Labor for Lamont is going to work as hard as we can for change. We will be going door to door, making phone calls and doing lit drops.
The Service Employees' International Union, including one branch that had previously backed Joe Lieberman, came out today in support of Ned Lamont.
From the campaign press release:
On the steps of the State Capitol Building, dozens of members and officials of the Service Employees International Union pledged to work for Ned Lamont as they endorsed him for the US Senate.
"After hearing from both candidates our members voted overwhelmingly for change in Connecticut and Washington," said Paul Philson, State Director of SEIU. "Our 50,000 workers are going to get off the sidelines and work enthusiastically for Ned Lamont to bring change to Connecticut and Washington."
SEIU is one of the most politically active and effective unions in the State.
"If we want to change the way we do business we need to change the people who represent us," said Mike O'Brien of CSEA. "Joe running as a minor party candidate can only hurt the working people of Connecticut." "I want to thank the 50,000 members of SEIU who are joining me today to fight for change," said Lamont. "People are working harder every day for less money. We need to raise the minimum wage, get health care for everyone and stop sending our jobs overseas."
Lamont continued, "A record number of voters turned out in the primary to call for change and now our message is resonating all across the state. It is time to change course in Iraq and at home. It is time we have a Senator who will go to Washington to fight for change and the people of Connecticut."
Today, our campaign made history by receiving the endorsement from the Connecticut AFL-CIO! Representing over 210,000 working families across the state, the AFL-CIO has never before endorsed a candidate in a gubernatorial primary in Connecticut but as John Olsen - President of the Connecticut AFL-CIO - said, "We've never had a candidate like this."
Olsen says today's endorsement speaks to Mayor DeStefano's incredible record of sticking up for working families. "John has proven over and over again that he understands the issues of working families. He is running on more than promises, he is running of a record of standing up for middle income people. Workers at the Omni and Yale University are better off because of his leadership and he's initiated more Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) than all the other communities in Connecticut combined. Plain and simple, John has been there for working families and now we're going to be there for him - today and everyday between now and Nov. 7."
Before receiving the endorsement, Mayor DeStefano spoke to a packed ballroom of delegates - stopping many times for standing ovations. Standing behind him at the podium were workers from SEIU 1199, AFSCME Council 15, Unite H.E.R.E. and the Building Trades. The Mayor asked for the delegates’ support and shared with them his vision for Connecticut. He singled out the workers standing behind him, telling the audience: "I know who I work for, I know where I come from, and I know where I'll go home to when all this is over."
In the coming months, we are very excited to work with the AFL-CIO and alongside hardworking men and women to fight for universal health care, job growth, lower energy costs and a moral minimum wage. Together, we will make Connecticut a better place for working families. Join our campaign today!
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