Labor unions are breaking strongly for Hillary Clinton in the wake of her very effective performance in her appearance before the Benghazi witch hunt committee Thursday. Friday, AFSCME endorsed her candidacy.
Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday won the endorsement of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a massive public-sector union, adding to her recent momentum in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Though Clinton was favored to win AFSCME’s backing, supporters of her leading rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), had urged the union’s leadership to hold off on a decision to get a better sense of where rank-and-file members stand.
In a statement Friday, AFSCME, which claims 1.6 million members, said its 35-member executive board voted “overwhelmingly” to endorse the former secretary of state based on several factors, including polling that showed nearly two-thirds of union members would vote for Clinton in the Democratic primary.
“The next president will make decisions that could make or break the ability of working people across America to sustain their families,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “That’s why we spent the last six months engaged in the most member-focused, in-depth, and transparent endorsement process AFSCME has ever undertaken.”
Barring a major pratfall or damning revelation, this race is beginning to look like an inevitable coronation. But one that was earned by a masterful 11 hour performance on national television.
