Strong AFT Effort Lifts Clinton to Impressive N.H. Victory

WASHINGTON, DC—Boosted by a strong effort by AFT members, Hillary Clinton scored a big victory on Jan. 8 to win the New Hampshire Democratic primary. Before the election, AFT staff in the state reported enormous energy and enthusiasm among members for Clinton, which translated into support at the polls.

AFT-New Hampshire is the largest AFL-CIO affiliate in the state, and those members were contacted in person and by phone through an all-out effort. "We really did lead the labor program in the state," says AFT-New Hampshire president Laura Hainey, noting that the union contacted every one of its members at least twice. She predicted record turnout among union members in the state, and that's exactly what happened.

Just days before the election, AFT president Edward J. McElroy was one of the featured speakers, along with former president Bill Clinton, at a large labor rally in Manchester, firing up the attendees for a final get-out-the-vote push.

In addition to scores of AFT-New Hampshire members who made phone calls, door-to-door visits and literature distribution, AFT members from other states also joined get-out-the-vote efforts, including scores of volunteers from New York State Public Employees Federation, New York State United Teachers, and AFT Massachusetts.

Defying polls that showed her trailing by 10 points or more on the eve of the election, Clinton showed strength across the board in New Hampshire, according to exit polls from MSNBC. She won 40 percent of the union vote, to 29 percent for Barack Obama and 23 percent for John Edwards. Women (who made up 57 percent of New Hampshire voters) supported her 47 percent to 34 percent for Obama.

AFT members' efforts have been positive, focusing on Clinton's strong record and proposals to help working families, and not attacks on any other Democrats in the field.

With fewer than 70 of the more than 4,300 Democratic delegates at stake selected so far, the campaign quickly moves on to other key states, culminating in "Super Tuesday" on Feb. 5, when more than 20 states will hold primaries or caucuses. In addition to a well-funded and well-organized campaign operation, Clinton will also benefit from strong grass-roots efforts from AFT members in many of the upcoming primaries. Before Super Tuesday, Nevada will hold a caucus on Jan. 19 and the South Carolina Democratic primary is set for Jan. 26. (South Carolina Republicans will vote a week earlier.) The Feb. 5 contests will include some crucial states, among them California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey.

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