Government employees union backs Clinton over Sanders

Hillary Clinton landed another endorsement from a major national union group on Thursday as she expanded her lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the race for labor support.

The American Federation of Government Employees, a group that counts 670,000 members, said its executive board voted to back Clinton after meeting with both her and Sanders.

The group cited the former secretary of State’s “vision for a strong and vibrant government workforce.”

{mosads}“The American people count on government employees to keep their streets safe, deliver their Social Security checks on time, and care for our nation’s heroes at veterans’ hospitals, and AFGE can count on Hillary Clinton to help us get it done,” AFGE president J. David Cox Sr. said in a statement.

It’s Clinton’s 17th endorsement from a national labor group. Her supporters include such major labor groups as the Service Employees International Union, the National Education Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Sanders has the support of two mid-sized union groups – National Nurses United and the American Postal Workers Union — but he has argued that while the executives at the unions have voted to support Clinton, many individual members support him.

The AFGE noted in its release that a poll of its members found they support Clinton over Sanders “by 2-1 margin.”