Kerry Is Ohio Labor and Party Favorite

[bigtree]

By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press Writer
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_politics11feb23,0,6802297.story?coll=sns-ap-toppolitics

February 23, 2004

For Kerry, campaigning for the Ohio primary also lays the foundation for a possible general-election fight against Bush. The Democrat plans to invest heavily in the state for the March 2 primary and in November, with some aides calling Ohio "the Florida of 2000" -- the state most likely to swing the election.

Those aides include some of the same strategists who advised Gore to pull out of Ohio in favor of Florida four years ago. Much has changed since then, they said, including Florida trending Republican and Ohio losing jobs.

Kerry made a beeline to Ohio after Wisconsin's primary to court autoworkers, pipe fitters and other laborers, and is expected to start running TV ads in the state this week.

A poll Feb. 13 by the University of Cincinnati showed Kerry with a massive lead. He has stacked up endorsements from several big-city Democratic mayors and has the support of organized labor -- most recently the AFL-CIO -- in a state where unions still have strong ties to the Democratic Party.

[ShaneGR]

1. Huge amount of undecideds

And Edwards drew BIG crowds over the weekend. It's going to be close.

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. Kerry ought to make Ohio his second home

From now until November. He NEEDS to carry this state.

[liberalnurse]

3. Just wait.........

the announcement will be out soon.....


"The Sleeper has Awaken".......Edwards has an arsenal of supporters in Ohio... Oh yea,for kerry, there are the predictable non-self-thinkers within our Ohio unions ....but many of them just don't vote at all. I will never forget the 2002 Gov. Taft re-election......a great example of the limited impact of the unions.

The Edwards Camp is very coy.......

[spooky3]

4. any chance that the Dispatch, Plain Dealer or Enquirer will

endorse him?