For Immediate Release
Oct 4, 2007 12:49 PM
The American Federation of Teachers on Oct. 3 endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party nomination for president. Winning the support of the AFT’s more than 1 million members gave Clinton her largest union endorsement to date. In New York, NYSUT leaders long urged support for Clinton based on what they called her exemplary record as a leader and an advocate for children and educators. Delegates to NYSUT’s Representative Assembly earlier this year, which included UFT delegates, passed a resolution urging the AFT to give every consideration to endorsing Clinton’s presidential bid. Weingarten is an AFT vice president.
UFT President Randi Weingarten on the endorsement:
“There is no better champion of our schools and our teachers than Hillary Rodham Clinton. Throughout her public life, Hillary has been a relentless advocate for children and working families - refusing to let issues like public education and health care fall off the national agenda. And she intuitively understands the challenges our teachers face - especially in urban districts - and we are confident that their voices will be heard when she is President. We’re pleased that our national union, the American Federation of Teachers, is endorsing her bid for the Democratic nomination for President. She certainly deserves the endorsement because she has a long and distinguished record as a good friend and champion of public education, and she has solid and well thought out ideas for improving the nation’s schools.
“The vote of the 41-member executive council capped a deliberative seven-month process designed to solicit from membership their issues of concern and the candidate they believed would best address those concerns. In a recent Hart Research Associates poll, 45 percent of AFT members said they would vote for Hillary Clinton if the election was held today, compared to 21 percent for Barack Obama and 13 percent for Edwards. The poll also showed that 71 percent of members (and 83 percent of members who are Democrats) wanted the AFT to make an endorsement. The AFT also solicited input through meetings at the local level, through regional caucuses and in individual member outreach.”