In a conference call this morning with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez will endorse the former first lady for president of the United States, according to sources close to the Clintons. Nunez will participate in the call with the frontrunning Democratic presidential candidate from a site at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento.
“This is a great ‘get” for Hillary,” says a longtime friend of President Clinton and Senator Clinton of the 40-year old speaker. “Fabian Nunez is one of the brightest new figures in American politics. He is smart, he is charismatic, he is a leader on global warming, and he’s shown how to work across the aisle with a complicated guy like Arnold Schwarzenegger. What’s not to like?”
Nunez is one of the first major California Democrats to endorse in the early California presidential primary, which he, Governor Schwarzenegger, and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata worked successfully to move to February 5th next year. Only four much smaller states will vote before the Golden State next year: Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
“Hillary was already strong with Latinos,” says the Clinton friend. “With Fabian Nunez, she is that much stronger. He has a great network in LA and around the state.”
Nunez spoke with a number of Democratic presidential candidates before making his endorsement, including Illinois Senator Barack Obama, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, and New Mexico Governor and former UN Ambassador Bill Richardson, the first major Latino presidential candidate. But the New York senator and former first lady proved to be his choice.
While there is nothing to report on this score at the moment, Nunez is known to have discussed presidential endorsements on a number of occasions with other members of the Assembly Democratic caucus.
Prior to his election to the Legislature, Nunez, a close friend of Los Angeles Mayor and former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, was the political director of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. In that capacity, he worked closely with the late Miguel Contreras, a near legendary figure as head of the labor federation whose widow, Maria Elena Durazo, is the current head of the union coalition.
Clinton leads in public and private polling for the California primary and is the national frontrunner among Democrats. But she is being seriously challenged in other early states and nationally by Barack Obama and John Edwards. A victory in the California primary is imperative for her candidacy.
Read 
| Comments (0) |
This seems like a big endorsement for her. She needs it with Obama coming on like he has.
Obama and Edwards are major threats to her.
Obama and Edwards are major threats to her.
Is Fabian ready for his close-up? lol
It’s a big day for Da Speak-uh. If he changes term limits, he’ll have many more. If not.
This is a big mistake. A mistake for Nunez and for Villaraiogsa. The future is Obama. For the young dynamic duo, they can’t see the trees for the forest.
Now I know what happened. The redistricting bill was in the White House library with the Rose Law firm billing records.
I know which campaign team will lie when confronted with difficult decisions. We have had enough of that leadership style at both the state and federal levels.
I suspect.
>Ann :
Is Fabian ready for his close-up? lol
Apr 25, 2007 06:28 AM
If Clinton beats Obama it’s a good move.
The future is not going to be Obama if he doesn’t get much more substance.
Now all of labor should fall right behind Nunez.
The redistricting bill got “lost” in the Senate with Don Perata.
Obama is going to have to start showing a lot more substance. That foreign policy piece was a litany of standartd Democratic talking points. So far, much as Gertrude Stein described Oakland, there’s no there there.
I mean, compared to Richardson and Edwards he’s pretty thin.
It’s still fairly early.
Isn’t Gale Kaufman Fabian’s political advisor? She probably advised him that Hillary is going to win and he should go with her!…she is so clever!
If she does win she should take Fabian into her administration…he is full of energy ..interested in so many things…does his homework …he’s great!
You mean if term limits aren’t changed and he doesn’t continue on as speaker of the Assembly.
I like the fact that he always makes his endorsements early… that takes guts.
The outcome is in doubt. That’s a good time to endorse for max payoff.
Keep in mind, he endorsed Phil Angelides too.
Really?
I thought he endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger.
>Anonymous :
Keep in mind, he endorsed Phil Angelides too.
Apr 25, 2007 12:23 PM
yeah. he “endorsed” them both. endorsed one and promoted the other.
lol
Bill Bradley :
Really?
I thought he endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger.
>Anonymous :
Did anyone ever tally up the number of times Mr. Nunez appeared with Schwarzenegger versus those with Angelides?
Ask Bob Mulholland.
Those “calitics” nutroots boys are attacking Nunez for supporting Hillary. They’re thugs, they’re sexists, they were buried so far up Angerlides’ behind last year they never saw the light at the end of that tunnel. lol
Wasn’t cracked Bob Mulholland the one winding up the “calitics” nutroots to attack New West Notes last year with all the spam and fake handles?
There is a here here in Oakland: the most substantially representative representative – Ms. Barbara Lee.
She has more depth than Obama, Edwards, Clinton and Richardson combined, and unlike them is not inclined to bomb bomb Iran.
Separate efforts.
>Ann :
Wasn’t cracked Bob Mulholland the one winding up the “calitics” nutroots to attack New West Notes last year with all the spam and fake handles?
Apr 25, 2007 02:58 PM
Is Barbara Lee running for president now?
Clearly, she’s not out to bomb Iran. She was the only vote in Congress against disrupting the Al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan immediately after 9/11.
>Paul Burton :
There is a here here in Oakland: the most substantially representative representative – Ms. Barbara Lee.
She has more depth than Obama, Edwards, Clinton and Richardson combined, and unlike them is not inclined to bomb bomb Iran.
Apr 25, 2007 03:03 PM