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Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Thursday picked up the endorsement of the Iron Workers Union Local 625 and the Iron Workers Stabilization Fund. The union represents 2,000 workers statewide.
"We believe that Gov. Abercrombie is committed to supporting and improving the lives of Hawaii’s working men and women," T. George Paris, director of the Iron Workers Stabilization Fund, and Joseph O’Donnell, business manager of the Iron Workers Union Local 625, said in a joint statement. "Neil is a ‘local boy’ at heart with a deep commitment to our community.
"During his tenure as governor, he turned our state finances around and led Hawaii out of a recession. He invested nearly $3.5 billion to upgrade aging infrastructure across the state including our schools, airports and highways. In the process, he’s added jobs, reduced unemployment, and bolstered our economy."
Abercrombie also won the endorsement Thursday of the Equality Hawaii Action Fund, the political arm of a group that advocated for marriage equality in a special session last year.
"We will never forget that the key step in the battle for marriage equality was when Gov. Abercrombie called the state Legislature into a special session. Had it not been for the governor’s leadership, the marriage issue might have languished in committee, as it did the previous session," Jacce Mikulanec, co-chairman of Equality Hawaii Action Fund, said in a statement.
"We look forward to his second term in office to cement his civil rights legacy and continue his administration’s record of fiscal responsibility, focus on environmental quality, and dedication to education and social service reform."
Abercrombie is facing state Sen. David Ige in the Democratic primary.
The Equality Hawaii Action Fund also endorsed state Sen. Clayton Hee for lieutenant governor. Hee, chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee, was instrumental in crafting the same-sex marriage law.
Hee is up against Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui and former television reporter Mary Zanakis in the primary.