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 Pa. Sen. Endorses Obama
by The Associated Press
Posted: March 28, 2008 - 3:00 pm ET
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Pennsylvania Sen. Bob
Casey endorsed Democrat Barack Obama on Friday, a move that could help the
presidential candidate make inroads with white working-class voters dubbed
"Casey Democrats" in the Keystone State.
Appearing on stage beside the Illinois senator,
Casey told a boisterous rally, "I believe in my heart that there is one
person who's uniquely qualified to lead us in that new direction and that is
Barack Obama."
Pennsylvania's April 22 primary will allocate 158
delegates, the biggest single prize left in the drawn-out nomination battle
between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. Clinton is leading
Obama in the state, by 12 points in one poll this month.
Casey is a first-term senator and the son of a
popular former governor of the state. Casey is Catholic and, like his father, is
known for his opposition to abortion and support of gun rights. His support
could help Obama make inroads among Catholic voters, who have preferred Clinton
to Obama in earlier primaries and strongly favor her in Pennsylvania polls.
"I really believe that in a time of danger
around the world and in division here at home, Barack Obama can lead us, he can
heal us, he can help rebuild America," he said.
Obama told the crowd that he had not pushed Casey
hard for an endorsement.
"Bob is such a gracious person and such a
thoughtful person that I did not press him on this endorsement," especially
since Obama trails Clinton in Pennsylvania polls.
"It would have been easy for Bob just to
stay out of it, just to stay neutral, I think everybody would have accepted
that," Obama said.
Casey said that he called Clinton Thursday night
to tell her of his decision.
"She was very gracious. We know that she's a
great senator, she's a great leader," Casey said.
Asked by Casey's endorsement, Clinton spokesman
Mo Elleithee said, "We're proud of the support we have from across
Pennsylvania, including Gov. (Ed) Rendell, several members of Congress and
mayors from across the state. We look forward to having his support in the
general election as Democrats unite to beat John McCain and to turn our country
around."
Clinton's backers in the state include Rep. John
Murtha, who was an early advocate of withdrawing from Iraq, and Philadelphia
Mayor Michael Nutter, who is black.
Meantime, a leading Obama backer, Sen. Patrick
Leahy, D-Vt., has said Clinton should abandon her White House run.
"There is no way that Sen. Clinton is going
to win enough delegates to get the nomination," Leahy told Vermont Public
Radio in an interview Wednesday. "She ought to withdraw and she ought to be
backing Sen. Obama. Now, obviously that's a decision that only she can make.
Frankly, I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate."
Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, endorsed Obama in January.
The Casey endorsement came as Obama began a
six-day campaign swing through Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania has an estimated 3.8 million
Catholics, or just over 30 percent of the state's population, and the percentage
among Democrats is estimated to be slightly higher.
Obama's team hopes that Casey will help narrow
Clinton's huge lead among white working-class voters - men in particular.
Clinton routed Obama among that demographic in Ohio and Texas on March 4,
raising questions about his electability in November. In recent weeks, Obama has
stressed economic issues important to the middle class, and he is outspending
Clinton on television advertising that features blue-collar imagery.
Clinton and her supporters have been making their
own direct appeals: backers Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,
last week wrote a letter to Pennsylvania Catholics emphasizing her plans on
health care, mortgage foreclosures and fuel costs. Clinton has been endorsed by
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, giving her access to his potent political
operation.
Obama has lacked a major endorsement by a
statewide Pennsylvania politician, and Casey's could help jump-start his
Pennsylvania campaign. Casey has close ties to organized labor, which has been
divided in Pennsylvania between the two candidates.
Casey had a 62 percent approval rating among
Democrats in a recent Quinnipiac University poll.
Casey's move could also be seen as a political
jab at the Clintons. Bill Clinton was the Democrats' presidential nominee in
1992 when Casey's father was not given a prime-time speaking position at the
party's convention, which outraged many of the state's conservative Democrats.
Casey was to campaign with Obama as he travels
across Pennsylvania by bus.
The bus tour will feature "listening
sessions," a technique Clinton used in her 2000 Senate campaign to convince
skeptical New Yorkers that she was not just a carpetbagger looking for a plum
post after leaving the White House.
Obama hopes to prevent Clinton from racking up a
large win in the state which could eat away at his delegate advantage and give
her new life in the final primaries running to June.
It may be a tough sell for some in the state,
which has a sizable elderly population. In the previous primaries, older
Democrats have favored Clinton, while younger voters tend toward Obama.
Casey served two four-year terms as state auditor
general. He lost a 2002 gubernatorial bid in the Democratic primary to Rendell.
Casey was elected to the Senate in 2006,
defeating conservative GOP incumbent Rick Santorum. Obama campaigned for Casey,
but so did Clinton and her husband.
©365Gay.com 2008
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