Nevada union on the verge of endorsement

LAS VEGAS - Among those studying results of the New Hampshire primary Tuesday was a Nevada union with the power to tip the balance in the next major Democratic nomination contest.

The 60,000-member Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, and its parent UNITE HERE, have repeatedly delayed an endorsement as they juggled a long-standing relationship with one candidate and the desire to side with the winner of the state's Jan. 19 caucus.

The local, representing hotel, restaurant and laundry workers, is the largest and best organized union in the state.

Union officials have said they will put an end to endorsement speculation Wednesday. A morning news conference is scheduled to announce its choice at the culinary's Las Vegas union hall.

Officials said Tuesday that the decision has not been made and would not say which candidates were still under consideration. A decision will follow an Tuesday night conference call with leadership, culinary political director Pilar Weiss said.

Front-runner Barack Obama is expected to get the nod if the spark ignited by his Iowa caucus win yields a solid New Hampshire victory.

Obama, like rival Democrats John Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton, has aggressively courted culinary workers and rarely campaigned in Nevada without visiting with members.

However, Edwards was the choice of some UNITE HERE leaders and members.

UNITE HERE president Bruce Raynor said in August that he supported the North Carolina senator after working with him organizing campaigns in Edwards' home state.

One UNITE HERE local appeared not to have waited for an endorsement before supporting Edwards. Culinary members in Las Vegas received a campaign mailer from UNITE HERE, Local 2 in San Francisco urging members to be skeptical about other candidates' promises.

"John Edwards walked our picket line," the mailer obtained by The Associated Press reads in English and Spanish. "Today, all the candidates for president will say they support you because Nevada is so important to their campaigns. Please support us by supporting John Edwards."

UNITE HERE, Local 2 officials did not immediately return a call for comment.

Still unclear was how the culinary's delay would affect its organizing on the ground.

Although it has been canvassing and registering new voters for months, the local will have just 10 days to rally members around a specific candidate.

Democratic strategist Dan Hart said the extent of the union's impact may hinge on whether the local's choice is its members' choice.

"If they have to persuade people and then identify and get them to the polls, it's kind of the stretch to say you can do that in 10 days," said Hart. "If their members are already convinced that the decision is the right one and is appropriate, then it's reasonable to say they can get it done."