While While Edwards' second-place finish in Iowa last night was surely a boost to his campaign, it must be somewhat troubling for him that he placed third among union households in the state, pulling 24 percent of that group, considering how much emphasis he's put on that demographic. Clinton led with 31 percent of that vote, followed by 28 percent for Obama. It's also probably disconcerting for all the unions that put their money and leg work behind him, like the group associated with SEIU locals that pushed at least $800,000 into radio spots for him or the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners' affiliate "Working for Working Americans," which laid down $500,000 to fund television spots for Edwards. AFSCME, meanwhile, is likely pleased to see Clinton leading with union households after deploying a $770,000 advertising campaign for her, though disappointed with her third-place finish overall. But it's probably Obama that should be most content with his support from union voters, considering he was severely lacking in official backing from big unions. This isn't entirely unexpected though. At last fall's SEIU political action summit, it was Obama's speech that elicited the most excitement from the crowd. It seemed like officials were more inclined to back Edwards, though, so instead of making a national endorsement, they allowed the locals to select a candidate. The support among individual union members was there all along, however.
--Kate Sheppard
