Warnstadt endorses Obama

[Ethelk2044]

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/09/02/news/local/4589b02b2b79644586257349007bbf43.txt

Seeing a candidate he thinks can not only win the 2008 presidential election, but govern in the following years, Iowa Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, has announced his endorsement of Barack Obama.

U.S. Sen. Obama, D-Ill., has campaigned twice in Sioux City this year and Warnstadt liked what he saw then and has seen previously.

"America is facing a lot of division, and I think (Obama) has unique skills to bring people together," Warnstadt said.

Warnstadt also thinks Obama is making a strong move for change in his refusal to accept political action committee donations. "I like the way he has limited campaign financing to non-PACs. He has decided to reach out aggressively to ordinary individuals," he said.

Warnstadt's role with the Obama campaign is yet to be defined, but he said he is "impressed with how the campaign is turning to individuals. This is not a top-down campaign."

With Warnstadt's endorsement, four of the five Sioux City statehouse lawmakers have settled on a candidate for the 2008 presidency. The first to endorse was House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, who supports former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican. The other Sioux City Republican serving in the legislature, Iowa Sen. Ron Wieck, has not settled on a candidate.

"I continue to watch where they are on the issues," Wieck said, adding that he will endorse at some point before the Jan. 14 Iowa caucuses.

Of the two other statehouse Democrats, Iowa Rep. Wes Whitead supports John Edwards and Iowa Rep. Roger Wendt has endorsed Hillary Clinton. Whitead will speak on behalf of Edwards at the Northwest Iowa Labor Council annual Labor Day Picnic on Monday.

[Colobo]

Gobama!

[Colobo]

1. Dupe.