IAFF State Leaders Meet with Candidates in New Hampshire, May 10-11
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Fire Fighters will take the next step in the process to carefully evaluate 2008 presidential contenders as International Association of Fire Fighters leaders from 30 states meet with leading Democratic candidates in Portsmouth, N.H., May 10-11.
The presidential candidates will hold one-on-one meetings here with IAFF state association leaders, and then field questions in a casual, conversational, union-meeting setting. These meetings follow the IAFF’s unprecedented presidential forum in Washington, D.C., which included 11 major candidates from both parties who addressed more than 1,000 fire fighters in March. The IAFF will continue to set up meetings in the coming months with candidates who express an interest.
“This is the next step in our process that will lead to an endorsement later this year,” said Harold A. Schaitberger, IAFF General President. “We held a national event in Washington, this event in New Hampshire will have the candidates talking directly with our state leaders, and in the coming months candidates will meet with our members.”
The IAFF has a strong record of helping its endorsed candidates win – from both political parties. The union’s early support and endorsement of Sen. John Kerry in the last presidential election is credited with lifting him in the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary and to the Democratic nomination.
The following candidates are tentatively scheduled to speak with fire fighters:
Thursday, May 10:
Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), 11:45 a.m.
Friday, May 11:
U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), 10 a.m.
U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), 11 a.m.
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), 11:45 a.m.
Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), 6 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), via phone TBD
IAFF meetings with candidates are closed to the public but open to the media.
The IAFF, headquartered in Washington, represents more than 280,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics in 3,100 affiliates in every congressional district in the country. The IAFF is one of the most active lobbying organizations in Washington. Its Political Action Committee, FIREPAC, is among the top 25 federal PACs among the more than 4,000 in the country and has a record of supporting candidates from both parties. More information is available at www.iaff.org