Teamsters union formalizes earlier endorsement of Gephardt

DETROIT -- Democratic presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt accepted the Teamsters union's formal endorsement Saturday in the union stronghold of Michigan before moving on to rally Teamsters in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Standing in a grassy area close to Teamsters Joint Council 43 headquarters near downtown Detroit, the Missouri congressman told several hundred Teamsters holding Gephardt signs and American flags that he is the best candidate to bring back jobs lost under President Bush.

Gephardt unofficially won the Teamsters' endorsement on Aug. 1 and hopes Saturday's rallies will help him gain some ground in the nine-way fight for the Democratic nomination for next year's election.

At a stop in Iowa, Gephardt's voice cracked and eyes welled with tears as he said the Teamsters endorsement was a special one to him because his father, a milk truck driver, had been a Teamster.

The Teamsters' endorsement enables Gephardt to tap into 1.4 million Teamsters members. With other unions that have endorsed the Missourian, he now has the support of unions with more than 3 million members, a major stride toward the 8.8 million needed for the endorsement of the nation's largest labor confederation, the AFL-CIO.

Although Iowa and New Hampshire lead off the 2004 presidential selection process, Michigan's Feb. 7 Democratic presidential caucuses make it an important target for Gephardt and the other Democrats in the race.

So far, none of Michigan's major unions besides the Teamsters have issued endorsements.