MI-09: SEIU Endorses Gary Peters for Congress

Today the SEIU Michigan Council has endorsed Gary Peters, in his congressional campaign for Michigan's 9th district.

"Our members firmly believe that Gary Peters is the best candidate to represent the citizens of Michigan’s 9th District," said Phil Thompson, SEIU Michigan State Council president and executive vice president of SEIU Local 517M. "He has a proven record of standing by working families, particularly when it comes to providing access to quality and affordable health care."

Gary has also received the earliest Congressional endorsement from the AFL-CIO, been endorsed by the Michigan Building Trades, American Federation of Teachers, and the local Operating Engineers, Communication Workers, and Pipefitters.

Peters was proud to accept the endorsement, saying "I’m extremely pleased and honored to get the support of the SEIU Michigan State Council. The SEIU believes, as I believe, that working families deserve a voice in Washington and that it is time for a change."

Michigan's 9th District is currently represented by Joe Knollenberg. Last year Knollenberg received a dismal 0% rating on labor issues in the AFSCME  House Scorecard.

Getting the endorsement was a very thorough and unique process. Gary Peters and other candidates in Michigan's 9th filled out a questionnaire, met with SEIU members who filled out assessment forms, and took part in a "Walk a Day in My Shoes" event where the candidates worked side by side with an SEIU member.

Marge Faville, the secretary-treasurer of SEIU Healthcare Michigan and the Michigan State Council treasurer, said Peters understands the struggles that SEIU members face.

"Gary Peters understands our values and our concerns," Faville said. "He spent a day side-by-side with a home care worker as part of our endorsement process, and we were very impressed with Gary’s passion and his grasp of the issues SEIU workers face."

Faville went on to highlight two of Gary Peters key beliefs that impressed SEIU members:
Ending the war in Iraq, and supporting children's health care.

"Gary Peters wants to end the war, bring our troops home and make sure their children get the health care they need through an expansion of the S-CHIP program. Those two issues are extremely important to SEIU members, as they are to Michiganders as a whole. Our members are excited to support a candidate who shares their vision for a better Michigan and a stronger America." SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Marge Faville

Want to get involved?

• Learn more about the campaign at PetersForCongress.com

• Support Gary Peters on Facebook US Politics
• Add the PetersForCongress Blog to your RSS reader!
• Subscribe to PetersForCongress on del.icio.us
• Hear from Gary on YouTube
• Contribute at ActBlue!

•  Tips/Contribute!

  Your contribution before Dec. 31 will show strong support before the next filing deadline and help send a champion of working families to Congress!

  Make a secure contribution at ActBlue!

  by Jordan LFW on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 02:41:20 PM PDT

•  Congratulations, Gary

  That's huge.

  by bfealk on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 03:12:44 PM PDT

•  Good Deal!

  eom

  by Brainwrap on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 03:14:58 PM PDT

•  Tags added

  2008 elections, House, endorsements

  by SarahLee on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 03:28:43 PM PDT

•  Sad news for Skinner

  This is great news for Gary.  SEIU has been extremely influencial in winning elections in recent years.  Congrats Jordan and the whole Peters Team.

  I was going to write my own diary about some news that I just learned, but when I saw this post I figured I could just add it here instead.

  I just returned from a trip to DC.  While I was there I had stopped in to chat with some friends of mine who work in the offices of certain members of the Michigan Dem. Congressional delegation.  The story varied slightly depending on which office I visited, but the end result was still the same.

  It appears as though last week, on Dec. 5, when Ms. Skinner cancelled at the last minute on her appearance at the DFA meeting, she gave an excuse that she was "called to Washington."  You can read it here: http://www.dailykos.com/...

  Well, as it turns out, the MI Dem delegation was hosting Gary Peters in DC on this same day to introduce him around.  From what I was told, Ms. Skinner found out about this and was not called to Washington but rather went there on her own accord.  While there, she attempted to get in to see members of the MI Dem delegation to try and coerce them away from there support of Gary Peters and instead support her.  From what I was told, she was denied at every door.  This is just sad and pathetic that she went to DC and dissed the members of DFA all in the name of being a sore sport.

  What is worse, Ms. Skinner continues to campaign on being negative toward Gary saying that he is the Washington picked candidate but at the same time, she went to Washington to try and deter them away from Gary and toward her.  Again, very sad.  The members (and I am one of them) of DFA should be outraged.  Ms. Skinner says one thing in Oakland County and then runs off to Washington and says another.  This is not the kind of Democratic member of Congress we need.  We already have Joe Knollenberg for that.  If we want real change, we need Gary.  Its just that clear.

  by Three D on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 06:44:05 PM PDT

•  Here we go again

  First - I congratulate Gary Peters on the SEIU endorsement.  

  What's sad though is how Three D can take a positive development for Gary and use it to make up a total lie about me and my trip to DC. I was called by Congressman Conyers on Tuesday and asked to attend his Judiciary Committe Holiday party on Wednesday. I ran into only 1 MI- Member by chance- the race came up of course but I did not disuade that person from supporting Gary. I did not know Gary had been there until I was told so at the party.  I did not go to any offices of any Michigan members so I could not possibly have been turned away where I never was.  How you could take that and twist it into some bizarre story is beyond belief but I'm getting used to these bizarre stories and lies from some of the Peter supporters.

  It saddens me really to see this kind of SWIFT BOAT behavior among Democrats. It's really shameful.    

  by NancyASkinner on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:29:33 AM PDT

  •  Dissing DFA for a holiday party?

    Ms. Skinner,  Its good of you to respond.  I can only write about what I was told.  There have been a lot of questions for you and your campaign over the past several weeks here on dkos and we have been waiting for answers for a long time.  Maybe you can address some of them as well like the videos of the Troy event and why you haven't posted them, your commercial in New York City that you have now removed from your website, why you have not made public the content of the endorsement letter you received from the national women's org and other questions.

    As for skipping out of a DFA meeting at the last minute for a holiday party with DC insiders, well, only you can answer that rationale as well.  I think you will agree that if you want to claim to be the candidate of grassroots and progressive voters, you really made a mistake by going to an inside-the-beltway party instead of meeting with members of DFA when you said you would and posted it on your public calendar.  Hopefully you can make the next meeting and address this and other questions.

    Oh, and before you use the "Swift Boat" line again, please consider trying to understand what that attack was and how posing questions to you is in no way the same.  If we are going to be tough enough to take on Knollenberg, please don't resort to weak cliches. IMHO its starting to make you look tacky. Advice..take it or leave it.  

    by Three D on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:03:22 PM PDT

    •  If I may chime in, let's not be disingenuous here

      When the chairman of the Judiciary Committee calls you and asks you to come to DC, you don't turn him down.  Nancy can and will reschedule with the local DFA chapter -- she can't reschedule an event with Chairman Conyers.

      The commercial that was filmed in NYC with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was from last year's campaign and it was never posted on the site, so it wasn't removed.  It appeared only in those little preview clips that automatically show up in YouTube videos from keywords. It was filmed in NYC simply because it was easier for Nancy to go there than for RFK, Jr. to come here.

      The endorsement from the NWPC is public information on their website.  I don't know what anyone could possibly think might be secret about that.

      by SharonRB on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:28:32 PM PDT

      •  Here's the link to the RFK Jr. endorsement

        http://youtube.com/...

        I know it's from the previous campaign, but if people want to watch it still, it is still online. I'm a big fan of his, so his endorsement does mean something here.

        Aside from that, I am appreciating the irony in Three D posting a complaint about "negative campaigning." Hope others are seeing the humor in that as well. ;)

        by ideamouth on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 03:57:07 PM PDT

        •  Thanks for the video

          I guess you are finding this funny in the same way Hillary Clinton calls this the fun season.  Negative campaigning is when someone attacks an opponent with things that are not true and scandalous.  Simply asking questions of a candidate that deal with something that may be in contradiction to what they have said or claimed while campaigning is fair game.  

          It is clear that the Skinner campaign wants to have it both ways.  They want to say anything they want without ever backing it up.  Isn't that the reason people are trying to defeat Knollenberg?  

          by Three D on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:15:31 PM PDT

      •  Disingenuous Indeed

        SharonRB - Sure, the NWPC site has Ms. Skinner's picture up as an endorsed candidate, but there is no actual public statement to that effect.  You see, when the endorsement was posted by the campaign, there were only spotty choice words used from the endorsement letter Ms. Skinner received.  The question that was posed was for you to provide content so we could see what the NWPC actually said.  The Peters campaign made their SEIU endorsement available for all to see...why can't Ms. Skinner?  Transparency is what the netroots demand.

        As for the ad being taped in New York City, I don't see why if Mr. Kennedy supported Ms. Skinner that he wouldn't see the reason for taping it in Michigan.  Ms. Skinner is already accused of not really being from the district and you would think she would at least know better than to shoot her t.v. commercials in the home city of Rudy Giulianni.  It just doesn't make good political sense for someone who continues to try and portray herself as being the candidate of local, grassroots support.

        And for Conyers, I find it hard to believe that he would call Ms. Skinner when he is hosting a fundraiser for Mr. Peters.  Very dubious indeed.

        by Three D on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:07:15 PM PDT