Senator John Edwards: Labour's Candidate in 2008

While the media has been fixated on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as the perceived front runners for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, John Edwards looks like he is poised to make it a three way race by winning the solid backing of organized labour. Unions were very divided in 2004, with Teamsters backing Dick Gephardt, SEIU backing Howard Dean, and Firefighters endorsing John Kerry. Although union density rates in the Unites States are extremely low, unions continue to play an important strategic role within the Democratic party and and are an invaluable source for campaign contributions. Since the 2004 presidential election, Senator Edwards has been working closely with organized labour and it looks like the unions are about to repay him for all his hard work. If the expected labour endorsements do come through, expect Edwards to be vaulted into the spotlight. Check out this article and this blog entry for more information.