The SEIU endorsed Arlen Specter over Joe Sestak in the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic primary today.
"SEIU fights for its members so we have a natural kinship with Senator Specter who is well known as a fighter for Pennsylvania," said Eileen Connelly, Executive Director for the SEIU PA State Council. "He's been there for us and now we are proud to be here for him. We have close to 100,000 SEIU members in PA and we are ready to play our part in making sure Senator Specter stays in the US Senate so he can keep working on behalf of Pennsylvania families".Neal Bisno, President of SEIU Healthcare PA representing 22,000 healthcare workers across the State said: "Senator Specter's key vote for the Economic Recovery Act has provided billions for Pennsylvania. Those funds have helped keep thousands of our members on the job and thus able to help our communities care for those in need."
Specter did vote for the stimulus, but the SEIU doesn't have a "natural kinship" with him. Specter is opposed to Card Check, the Holy Grail of union legislation. His position didn't go unnoticed. Last year SEIU president Andy Stern met with Sestak to test the waters. And yet the mega-union still endorsed Specter, the former Republican. Sestak, meanwhile, was a co-sponsor of Card Check legislation in the House of Representatives and is more progressive on almost every issue than Specter.
The White House has been vociferous in its support of Specter, to the point that Sestak has accused them of trying to bribe him out of the primary race. Even though Sestak was by far a more natural ally for the SEIU, Obama likely leaned on Andy Stern to throw his support to Specter. It's getting to the point where the SEIU seems like little more than an activist political arm of the Obama Administration.
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