Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd is traveling the state today with the president of the International Association of Firefighters to highlight the group’s endorsement of his White House bid.
“I say to all of you here today again my thanks for this endorsement and support,” Dodd said this morning in Iowa City. “…One thing I like about fire fighters is they know how to fight and they also know how to win.”
The fire fighters union endorsed John Kerry in late 2003, helping Kerry turn his campaign around and score a come-from-behind victory in Iowa’s 2004 Caucuses.
Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, says Dodd’s underdog status in this year’s campaign isn’t a deterrent.
“Fire fighters understand a challenge and when they’re really at their best are when they’re told that can’t maybe they get something done,” he said. “They work in an environment of adversity.”
The union has about 28,000 members. Dodd and the union president are making stops today in Des Moines and Council Bluffs, too.