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For Democratic rivals, endorsement is a wash
An aggressive, weeklong effort by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis to secure the lone endorsement of the state's second largest union failed Saturday.
By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published June 4, 2006
An aggressive, weeklong effort by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis to secure the lone endorsement of the state's second largest union failed Saturday. But his primary opponent, Rod Smith, did not win either. The 110,000-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees split its endorsement between the men during a meeting Saturday in Orlando. "Both of them have been friends to us and so we'll allow each of our local unions to support whichever candidate they choose," said the union's legislative director, Doug Martin. Davis, a U.S. representative from Tampa, sent out a series of statements critical of Smith's voting record on labor issues in the state Senate. In most cases, though, Smith poked holes in the accusations and called the attack a "desperate" attempt to deflect attention from Smith's surging popularity. Neither has been able to net the top union endorsements. The teachers union also split its vote, while the AFL-CIO did not offer an endorsement because of a lack of clear consensus.
[Last modified June 4, 2006, 05:38:45]
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