Washington
We now know that 84.1 percent of the approximately 6,900 National Education Association delegates gathered here this week for the union’s Representative Assembly voted to endorse Hillary Clinton in the general election for the U.S. presidency.
Mike Antonucci was the first to report the number, and NEA officials have confirmed it. It is a greater proportion than Obama received either in 2011 or 2008, but lower than other candidates received, including John Kerry in 2004, Al Gore in 2000, and Bill Clinton in 1996.
The RA has to approve an endorsement in the general election; this vote triggers the flow of cash to the candidate. (The union’s endorsement in the primaries, by contrast, gets approved by the union’s PAC council and board of directors, but not the RA.)
Here’s the “yes” tally for the general election over the years:
- Bill Clinton, 1996: 91.5%
- Gore, 2000: 89.5%
- Kerry, 2004: 86.5%
- Obama, 2008: 79.8%
- Obama, 2011: 72%