Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee for president, has thrown his support behind Senator Barack Obama in his bid for the 2008 nomination.
Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts, planned to announce his support Thursday at a rally with Obama at the College of Charleston, arguing that the Illinois senator can best unite the country, said a Democrat familiar with the decision. Kerry was timing his announcement before South Carolina’s Jan. 26 primary, a contest that has taken on extra importance for Obama after Hillary Rodham Clinton beat him in New Hampshire.
Following in the footsteps of Al Gore, who in 2004 supported the nomination of Howard Dean instead of his 2000 running mate, Joe Lieberman, Kerry’s endorsement is a slap in the face to John Edwards, his running mate in the ’04 campaign. But it’s easy to understand. No one believes John Edwards has a chance to be the nominee this time.
The ‘Fredo Kiss‘ implication aside, this is probably good news for Obama, regardless of the Kerry baggage. The endorsement follows on the heals of another one received from the 60,000-member Culinary Workers Union in Nevada yesterday.
Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, South Carolina, John Kerry