John Kerry to endorse Obama
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Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), the Democratic Party's 2004 presidential nominee, will endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president in South Carolina today, Democratic sources told Politico.
Kerry is flying to South Carolina for an event to be held shortly after 11 a.m. in Charleston, the sources said. Obama is holding a "Rally for Change" at the College of Charleston ahead of the Democrats' South Carolina primary on Jan. 26.
Kerry's endorsement message will focus on Obama's ability to bring the country transformational change, the sources said.
Kerry, who had contemplated another run of his own this year, remains one of the Democratic Party's most popular figures, and gives Obama a big boost as he is trying to regain his momentum after finishing second to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
For Obama, this endorsement fills a particular need: In addition to winning the nomination in 2004, Kerry is considered a strong voice on national security issues and a respected elder of the Democratic establishment.
Neither of those factors would do much for Clinton, who is strong on both.
But Obama needs to show donors, voters and activists that he can attract more traditional support and win over the decision-makers in the party.
Thus far, he has succeeded mostly at bringing young voters and independents into the fold.
Moreover, Kerry maintains a pretty strong fundraising network and impressive e-mail list of potential donors.
Kerry is putting an e-mail list with millions of addresses at Obama's disposal, according to party sources.
The e-mail list will be very helpful for fundraising as well as organizing.
However, endorsements —even one like this, which will get huge news coverage — rarely transform a campaign.
They provide good momentary buzz, and a surrogate with star power for campaign stops. But it is rarely the reason a voter chooses a candidate.
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