Service Union to Back Obama

The giant Service Employees International Union will endorse Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential nomination race, Politico reports, with the move expected tonight or tomorrow. The union's national front had remained neutral in the primary campaign, though many of its state committees had backed now-departed John Edwards. The SEIU has a major presence among Latinos in Texas, whose primary/caucus is March 4.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union also endorsed Obama today, the Chicago Tribune reports in its Swamp blog, and its president confirmed the SEIU's impending announcement. The blue-collar support will likely come in handy in Tuesday's primary in Wisconsin; Ohio, which like Texas votes March 4, also has a large working-class electorate. (More Service Employees International Union stories.)