Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton Gain Endorsements

Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and Sen. Hillary Clinton all gained new endorsements on Tuesday and Wednesday. These included the endorsements of a state representative, a union chapter, and an actress.

According to a press release issued by the Bill Richardson For President campaign on Wednesday, Governor Richardson received an endorsement from a Nevada chapter (Local 396) of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents over twenty-four hundred workers. Union officials praised Richardson for his labor issue record, credentials, and "down to earth" personality. It quoted Gov. Richardson as thanking them for their support and praising the union. The press release also pointed out that Richardson has promised to select a Secretary of Labor who is a union member, if he is elected as President.

On Tuesday, a press release from the Barack Obama campaign indicated that he had gained the endorsement of Deborah Berry, the State Representative for Waterloo, Iowa, and quoted her as highly praising Senator Obama. The press release pointed out that Obama has been endorsed by seventeen state legislators in Iowa, and quoted Obama saying that Berry is a "tireless leader" for her community and he is proud she is supporting the campaign. She has been a State Representative since 2002, and also served on the Waterloo City Council.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Hillary Clinton For President campaign issued another press release, reporting that Senator Clinton had received an endorsement from singer, director, and actress Barbra Streisand, who spoke about her reasons for endorsing Clinton. Streisand was quoted as saying that the possibility of a women becoming President is an "extraordinary thought" and referred to Senator Clinton as a "powerful voice for change." Clinton responded that she is "honored" to gain Streisand's support, and went on to praise her talent and advocacy efforts. The press release pointed out that Streisand has worked to support Democratic political candidates for more than 40 years.

According to wikipedia.org's entry on the 2008 presidential candidates, Senator Obama previously received the endorsement of popular television talk show host Oprah Winfrey. It also indicates that Senator Hillary Clinton was formerly the First Lady, while Governor Richardson previously served as the ambassador to the U.N., a Congressman, and the Secretary of Energy.

Other Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Chris Dodd, John Edwards, and Sen. Joe Biden also received endorsements earlier in the month, but have not issued any press releases on new endorsements in the past couple days.

Sources:
1. Bill Richardson For President, http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0377
2. Obama 08, http://www.barackobama.com/2007/11/27/state_representative_deborah_b.php
3. Hillary Clinton For President, http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4397
4. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic_presidential_candidates,_2008