Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) said Wednesday he is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) bid for the White House.
Both camps played up Dorgan’s opposition to NAFTA as the trade agreement looms heavy with the crucial Ohio primary just days away.
{mosads}“I of course am very concerned about jobs and trade agreements,” Dorgan said on a conference call with reporters.
David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager, called Dorgan a “longtime champion of the rights of American workers” who has “won elections in what is considered to be tough terrain for Democrats.”
Dorgan, who is also a superdelegate, said Obama’s willingness to compete in red states like North Dakota was part of the reason he decided to endorse.
Obama won North Dakota’s Democratic caucuses on Super Tuesday. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) endorsed Obama before the Iowa caucuses.
Dorgan has worked closely on trade issues with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who has yet to endorse a candidate ahead of the Ohio primary on Tuesday. Brown’s endorsement could have a big impact on the manufacturing-heavy state, where Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) have battled over trade issues.