Hillary has earned PEF’s support By ROGER E. BENSON
Does PEF only support Democrats? And why is PEF so strongly supporting the candidacy of Hillary Clinton for the US Senate?
The answers are simple. Party affiliation is not a factor in PEF’s endorsement decisions. It doesn’t matter if a candidate is left or right, Republican or Democrat. Our support is based on a candidate’s position on issues important to PEF and on that candidate’s ability to effectively support our issues.
PEF endorses candidates on both
sides of the political aisle. This year we’ve
identified priority races where we’ve expended
significant resources backing both Republican and
Democratic candidates. These races are important to the
leadership of the political parties, where we have an
opportunity to build political capital and influence the
outcome. When our support is visible and we influence the
outcome of an election, we gain political power.Last year, we supported Republican Tom Morahan in a special election for state Senate. We made the difference in that election. Two years ago our early support of Chuck Schumer for US Senate helped him win his primary, and then he went on to win in the general election. Both lawmakers recognize the importance of PEF’s support and haven’t forgotten that we helped get them elected. They have been instrumental in moving legislation that is beneficial to us for example, the Veteran’s Buy-Back retirement bill at the state level, and the deferred-compensation rollover on the federal level.
This year the race for US Senate is again a priority race for PEF. Our international affiliates, AFT and SEIU, have identified priority races on a national level that can elect a Congress which is supportive of our issues. The importance of this strategy has increased as federal policy increasingly influences our day-to-day work, and as more of the funding for our jobs comes from the federal government.
PEF’s support of Hillary Clinton in the Senate race was based upon an examination of each candidate’s positions on our issues. Hillary Clinton understands that there is a role for public employees and the essential services we provide. She understands that there is a difference in the quality of services that are provided by dedicated public servants and the contractors who want to privatize our jobs to pad their pockets with profits.
Her opponent took thousands of dollars from PACs representing interests that want to privatize our jobs. She has not. That is part of her commitment to our issues, and for that, and her commitment to other issues important to us, she has earned and deserves our support.