Prometheus 6

Mr. Edwards lost the endorsement of a giant public sector union, the 1.4-million-member American Federation of Teachers, to Mrs. Clinton this month. And the Illinois S.E.I.U. local decided to support Mr. Obama.

Largest Union in California Says It Will Work for Edwards There and Elsewhere
By CHRISTINE HAUSER

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19 — The state council of the Service Employees International Union publicly threw its weight behind John Edwards’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday and said it would rally its members here and in other states, including those holding early primaries, to support his campaign.

The union is the largest in California, with 656,000 members. Its backing is a significant achievement for Mr. Edwards, especially if the union is able to extend its organizational ability to the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.