Huge labor endorsements for Pridemore

Full Disclosure: I am a supporter and volunteer for Senator Craig Pridemore's campaign to succeed Brian Baird as U.S. Representative in the 3rd District. My opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Pridemore for Congress.

The great news just keeps rolling in for Craig Pridemore's congressional campaign.

Yesterday, Craig was endorsed by UFCW Local 21, which notes on its website that it is "the largest private-sector union in Washington, with over 35,000 members working in grocery store, retail, health care, and other industry jobs."

Today, delegates to the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO convened for its COPE Endorsing Convention. We at NPI were not surprised to hear that delegates voted to endorse Craig Pridemore for Congress in the 3rd District.

What do these endorsements mean for the Pridemore campaign?

Besides being an affirmation of Craig's work on behalf of working families, it means a lot of support for his campaign.

Also unlike corporations and business groups, which outspend unions 15-to-1 on politics, labor's support doesn't just come in the form of a check. It also comes in the form of volunteers who do worksite leafleting and make personal (not automated) phone calls to fellow union members. Plus, it includes direct mail and other forms of political outreach intended to explain why endorsed candidates and ballot measures have earned labor's support.

In a people-powered grassroots campaign, the foot soldiers and other resources that the Labor movement brings to a campaign are critical. Corporate interests continue to flock to "practicing capitalist" (I guess that's synonomous with being bought and paid for by Corporations United) Denny Heck, so it's of vital importance that we the People continue to stand with Craig Pridemore.

And it makes sense that Washington's unions would stand with Pridemore. After all, Craig has a lifetime 97% voting record on issues that affect working families, while his opponent, Denny Heck, has a less-than-stellar 72% voting record during his stint as a state legislator from 1977-1984.

For his part, Heck will point to labor endorsements like that of IBEW Local 77. However, Heck's labor endorsements are more the work of a couple of activist supporters who work in the Labor movement, than they are indicative of Heck's overall labor record. Heck may not be a far-right Republican in disguise or an enemy of working families, but he's no Craig Pridemore.

So the question that is to be settled in the primary is would you rather have someone who stands with you nearly all of the time (Craig Pridemore), or would you rather have a representative in Congress who kowtows to corporations and stands up for you only when it's politically expedient?

Given the choice, I believe that Craig Pridemore is the best choice to represent the 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.