Potential sleeper candidate Joe Biden picked up two more state legislator endorsements this morning. From a Biden for President campaign release:
“Today, Sen. Joe Biden received endorsements from two key Iowa elected officials. State Representatives Dennis Cohoon of Burlington and Eric Palmer of Oskaloosa become the 15th and 16th Iowa State legislators to endorse Sen. Biden.
“I am supporting Sen. Biden because he’s the most prepared to be president from Day One,” said Rep. Cohoon. “And as a high school special education teacher for thirty years, I know Sen. Biden can accomplish the education reforms we need to get kids in preschool earlier and give them the opportunity to go to college.”
Rep. Palmer stressed Sen. Biden’s experience in world affairs and his commitment to civil rights: “The Des Moines Register talked about knowledge and experience in their endorsement. To me Joe Biden exhibits real knowledge and experience in foreign affairs and his understanding of the constitution, both qualities not exhibited by this White House. As Vice-Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, I am particularly impressed with Sen. Biden’s expertise in constitutional law, which will be critical to getting America back on track.””
Like the release says, that brings his endorsement total to 16. And trust me, that’s a lot in the state legislator race and puts him just behind Clinton and Obama. That bodes well for Biden in terms of organization and contacts. State legislators have strong local connections that help them get elected in the first place. Their opinion matters if nothing more than to help Iowans pick a solid second choice.
Now, don’t get me wrong, these endorsements aren’t going to catapult Joe Biden into the top three. But they could help him a lot. If any of the three front-runners do poorly in terms of rural organizing or see troubles in viability, Joe Biden could see a boost. And with his Iraq policy and seriousness he still captures Iowans’ attention to at least listen to him. The question is what kind of crowd will show up to the caucuses on January 3rd.
2 Comments
anyone out there in western Iowa?
It seems that Biden is stronger in eastern Iowa and that Richardson has more potential in western Iowa. But I haven’t heard any field reports about how Richardson is doing.
It certainly appears that Biden is getting more late deciders than Richardson. On the other hand, several precinct captains for various candidates in the Des Moines area have told me they expect Richardson to be viable in their precincts, while no one has told me they expect Biden to be viable in their precincts.
Obviously Biden will be viable in some Des Moines area precincts, but Richardson went into the final month with more support here. I don’t know if he will gain or lose any of his supporters.
desmoinesdem Sat 22 Dec 12:05 PM
Biden is the 2008 Sleeper
There is no doubt in my mind that Joe Biden has the ability to pull off a surprise 3rd place finish. If he keeps his momentum going, and picks up a couple more key endorsements no one should count him out. The latest ARG Poll has Biden yet again ahead of Richardson with 8% support. In the final days of the campaign undecided voters will chose a candidate with a track record of getting things done. That person is Joe Biden!
rpritchard Sat 22 Dec 12:44 PM