Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers of America share many
beliefs, but they have taken different paths in the Democratic
primary elections.
Huerta, a University of California regent and an activist for
labor and education who helped found the labor organization,
endorsed former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, as the UFW endorsed
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
Early in the campaign, Huerta said she was impressed with
Dean’s forceful opposition to the war and criticism of the
effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act as well as with his
sincerity and inclusiveness.
“He is kind of the average joe of politics,” Huerta
said, praising Dean’s outreach to women, minorities, workers
and young people.
Giev Kashkooli, political director for the UFW, said the UFW
interviewed Dean and Kerry and found Kerry to be the stronger
candidate.
“Dean has not had the same concrete history (with the UFW)
that Kerry does,” Kashkooli said.
“We think that Kerry is the real deal … he has shown he
can help build coalitions to help people,” he added.
Kashkooli cited Kerry’s participation in the “great
boycott” of the 1970s ““Â which helped earn farm
workers the right to form unions ““ and his support for the
UFW’s “AgJobs” bill, which is a counter to
President Bush’s guest worker program.
AgJobs would apply to about 500,000 workers nationwide, as
opposed to the 8 million workers in industries where there is a
shortage of documented workers, a staple of Bush’s plan.
AgJobs would allow workers to earn permanent legal status and
give workers’ families the right to live in the United
States. Bush’s guest worker plan does not include the
opportunity for permanent status and is not clear on whether it
would also sponsor workers’ families.
“(Kerry) has shown real leadership by helping us win
bipartisan support ““ 25 democrats and 25 republicans …
Kerry has shown real determination to reform our immigration
laws,” Kashkooli said.
Although Huerta has a common interest in labor, she said she was
less inclined to endorse Kerry because of his support for the North
American Free Trade Agreement, which she said has been
“pretty devastating” to Latin America.
Huerta qualified her remark, saying if Kerry is nominated, she
would be on board to help him get elected.
David Karol, a political science professor at UC Berkeley who
studies political endorsements, said the UFW’s endorsement
would probably carry more weight than Huerta’s simply because
it is an organization.
“In this case both of these endorsements would seem to
matter primarily in California, and, in practice, the race seems
likely to be decided before voters here have anything to say about
it,” Karol said, referring to the narrowing field of
Democratic candidates and Dean’s promise to withdraw if he
does not win the Feb. 17 Wisconsin primary.
Huerta has not changed her endorsement as Dean has fallen in the
polls, but she said she might be willing to endorse another
candidate if Dean withdraws.
“Whoever it is I do endorse, I will stress education very
strongly because we have an educational crisis right now, and it
has to be a top priority for whoever is nominated,” Huerta
said.