Edwards Campaign Press Release - Edwards Brings Fight For The Middle Class To California As Part Of Three-Day Coast To Coast Tour

From West Coast to the East Coast, Edwards is the best candidate to win the general election and bring real change to America

Los Angeles, California – Today, John Edwards visited Los Angeles as part of his three-day coast to coast tour. Greeted by a crowd of more than 1,000 supporters at the Southern California Public Service Workers' headquarters, Edwards called on voters to join him in his campaign to take our country back from powerful entrenched interests and make our government work for working families and the middle class. From January 17th to January 19th, Edwards will visit Nevada, California, Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina to demonstrate his broad, coast to coast strength and his advantage as the best candidate to win the general election. As a sign of Edwards' growing strength in California, he was today endorsed by Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcón.

"To get real change, we need a president who will stand up against the big corporations and powerful interests who control Washington," said Edwards. "The American people – whether they live in rural areas or urban areas, red states or blue states – need a President who will stand up for them. As President, I will make sure the voices of all Americans are heard in Washington. If we fight together, we can get the change we need and America will rise."

Speaking at the SEIU Local 721, Edwards outlined his plans to stand up for hard-working families, like the ones he grew up with. From guaranteeing universal health care to creating good paying jobs and enacting trade policies that put the interests of workers, not multinational corporations first, Edwards will take on big corporate interests and help families get ahead. Born to a working class family and raised in small, rural towns, Edwards understands the struggles facing working families. He has spent his life standing up to powerful interests – and beating them.

Edwards' message is resonating with voters in red states and blue states, in big cities and small towns. In addition to strong grassroots support in these states, Edwards also enjoys the support of numerous labor groups and state and local elected officials who know that he is the best candidate to win the White House and bring real change to our country. A recent CNN poll showed Edwards was the only Democrat to beat all four leading Republicans nationally, and state by state polls show even more conclusively that Edwards is the most electable democrat in key battleground states -- and even wins in states like Missouri and Oklahoma that have gone "red" in recent presidential elections.

In California, Edwards enjoys the support of more than 760,000 union members across California, including the support of California's single largest union, the California SEIU State Council. Edwards has also won the support of dozens of diverse Democratic elected officials and party leaders from every region of the Golden State.

"John Edwards is the change candidate in this campaign -- the candidate with not only the boldest ideas for change, but the candidate who can win in November, strengthen Democratic majorities in Congress and at the state level, and make his ideas a reality," said SEIU CA State Council President Annelle Grajeda. "John Edwards can go to any part of the country and help Democrats down-ballot. With John Edwards as our nominee, we can get the change we need."

"I'm proud to support John Edwards because he understands, better than any other candidate, the challenges facing working Americans," said L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcón. "Whether it's truly universal health care, fixing America's trade policy or ending America's involvement in Iraq, John Edwards has offered real solutions to the challenges Americans face, and he's determined to be a voice for regular people. I truly believe we need his leadership in the White House."

"After eight years of George Bush, it is critical that we have a Democrat in the White House," said L.A. City Councilman Herb Wesson. "We need a candidate who can bring real change to America and who can win. That candidate is John Edwards. He can compete and win in every part of the country, including red states and battleground states because Americans identify with who he is and what he stands for – fairness and opportunity and making sure everyone has a chance."

 

Edwards' supporters in California include:

Betty Yee, CA Board of Equalization Chair

Leland Yee, CA Senate Assistant President Pro Tempore

Gloria Negrete McCleod, CA State Senator

Anthony Portantino, CA State Assemblyman

Dave Jones, CA State Assemblyman

Pedro Nava, CA State Assemblyman

Richard Alarcón, L.A. City Councilman

Herb Wesson, L.A. City Councilman/Former CA Assembly Speaker

John Burton, Former U.S. Representative/Former CA Senate President

Mike Roos, Former CA Assembly Majority Leader

Conway Collis, Former CA Board of Equalization Chair

Chris Kerrigan, Eureka City Councilman

Evan Low, Campbell City Councilman

Gregory Pettis, Cathedral City Councilman

Kevin Bacon, Actor

Harry Belafonte, Actor/Civil Rights Activist

Jackson Browne, Singer/Songwriter

Peter Coyote, Actor

James Denton, Actor

James Duff, TV Producer

Seth McFarlane, Actor/Producer

Seth Green, TV Producer

Hank Azaria, Actor

Dennis Erdman, TV Producer/Director

Danny Glover, Actor/Civil Rights Activist

Paul Haggis, Producer/ Director

Dan Kuramoto, Leader of Hiroshima Jazz Band

Connie Neilson, Actor

Bonnie Raitt, Singer/Songwriter

Tim Robbins, Actor

Susan Sarandon, Actor

Jean Smart, Actor

Madeleine Stowe, Actor

Lars Ulrich, Musician

Jeff Anderson, Former Co-Chair, John Kerry for President National LGBT Finance Committee

Wiley Akin, Former Orange County Democratic Party Chair

Dave Burruto, Vice Chair, San Mateo Democratic Party

Judith Christensen, California Democratic Party E-Board Member

Tom Cochrane, Political Outreach Director, Santa Clara County Democratic Party

Pam Cooke, Board Member, National Stonewall Democrats

Cheryl Conway, Vice-Chair, San Luis Obispo County Democratic Central Committee

Todd Elmer, Former Clinton Administration Commerce Department Official

John Fengler, President, Plumas Democratic Club

Susan Good, Co-Chair, CA Democratic Party Rules Committee, member of the CA Democratic Party Executive Committee

Lisa Gruwell, Skyline Public Works Chief Operating Officer

Lyn Hilfenhaus, Chair, Women's Caucus, California Democratic Party

Asa Hopkins, Vice President, Pasadena Young Democrats

Mary Jung, California Democratic Party E-Board Member

Kyle Kleckner, President, UCLA Bruin Democrats

Sandra Lang, San Mateo County Committee

Darrick Lawson, Former President of Sacramento Stonewall Democrats

Luisa Blue, 1st Vice President of Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance*

August J.P. Longo, Regional Director, California Democratic Party

Morgan Lucas, Southern California Vice President, CA Young Democrats

William McRae, San Diego Regional Coordinator for Moveon.org

Rich Meager, Chair, El Durado County Democratic Central Committee

David Miller, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of CA, San Diego

Dale Minami, Civil Rights and Community Leader

Steve Ngo, Civil Rights Committee Member, Asian American Bar Association, Greater Bay Area

Chris Pak, President of the Archeon Group

Mary Pallant, Vice Chair, Ventura County Commission for Women

Skip Paul, Corporate Executive

John Perez, DNC Member

Dr. Kirsten Roling, Northern Vice Chair of the CDP Children's Caucus*

Harley Shaiken, Class of 1930 Professor, Graduate School of Education and Department of Geography, University of California, Berkley

Jeff Soukup, Board Member of Gay & Lesbian Alliance against Defamation; former President and COO, PlanetOut Inc., Former Co-Chair, National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Tim Steed, President, CA Young Democrats

Eric Stern, Former DNC LGBT Outreach Director and Executive Director of the National Stonewall Democrats

Francis Tsang, Delegate

Meredith Vivian, Vice President, University of California, Santa Cruz

Raahi Reddy, Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, President

Scott Wiener, San Francisco Democratic Party Chair*

Lynne Wiggins, Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) National Council Member; Former Human Rights Campaign Board of Governors Member

Bill Wong, Former Chief of Staff to Assemblywoman Judy Chu

Jason Wong, California Democratic Party Elections Committee

Nicky González Yuen, Ph.D, JD, Vice President, Peralta Community College Board of Trustees

*Title and Organization for Identification purposes only.