Reply #8: Obama To Receive Endorsement Of Cleveland Mayor [View All]

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Obama To Receive Endorsement Of Cleveland Mayor
February 21, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama received the endorsement of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson on Thursday, at an event with Obama's wife Michelle at Cleveland State.

Obama now has the backing of the mayors of Ohio's top two cities: Columbus -- whose mayor Michale Coleman announced his support in October -- and Cleveland.

Both Jackson and Coleman's support should play a helpful role for Obama in the state's upcoming March 4 primary. Sen. Hillary Clinton deemed Ohio (and Texas) as her campaign's firewall. And while the New York Democrat holds a relatively substantial lead in recent polls, Obama has recently gained steam, aided in part by his 11 straight primary wins.

Jackson, the first African-American Italian mayor of the city, won election in November 2005 with 55 percent of the vote. His brief tenure has, for the most part, been a positive one, as he has pushed for changes in the city's police force and a joint-tax sharing venture between Cleveland and its suburbs. Recently, he snubbed his local congressman and former presidential candidate Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), by endorsing Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman to take his seat.