Harkin endorses Clinton for president

Iowa Democratic power broker Tom Harkin and his wife, Ruth, are throwing their weight behind a presidential candidate: Hillary Clinton.

The highly coveted endorsement is a coup for Clinton, but it’s unlikely to snuff out the Bernie Sanders wildfire here.

Harkin, a retired 30-year U.S. senator who is arguably the most successful Democrat in Iowa’s history, said in an opinion piece published by The Des Moines Register on Thursday night that he and his wife believe Clinton will be the best fighter for social and economic justice.

“As Democrats, we’re fortunate to have a slate of candidates that are all fine individuals,” Harkin wrote, “but we need a fighter who has a record of getting things done and the vision for the future that will build on the progress we’ve made.”

Harkin, 75, still has big clout in Iowa Democratic circles and his endorsement will likely send a powerful signal to undecided voters — 54 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers say they’ve yet to settle firmly on a presidential candidate, according to a CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday. Only 30 percent say they’re definitely locked in behind someone.

SEN. TOM HARKIN:Clinton shares my values on justice

The decision by Harkin, one of the most liberal senators in the Democratic Party, will no doubt disappoint other contenders, including Sanders, a Vermont U.S. senator and progressive firebrand who has been steadily climbing in the polls in Iowa and attracting massive, arena-sized audiences around the country, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has some positions that are to the left of Clinton’s.

Harkin’s certainty about Clinton is a shift from September 2014, when he said that although Clinton was headlining his final Harkin Steak Fry fundraiser, that should not be considered an endorsement.

And it’s early in the cycle for a Harkin endorsement. It lands before Vice President Joe Biden has made up his mind about a 2016 bid. In 2004, Harkin waited until just 10 days before the Iowa caucuses to endorse Howard Dean.

In 2008, Harkin stayed out of the race altogether. After he abandoned his own bid for the White House in 1992, he promptly endorsed Clinton’s husband, Bill, who went on to win the presidency and re-election.

“I have had the privilege of knowing Hillary Clinton for a long time,” said Harkin, whose years in the Senate overlapped Clinton’s time as a U.S. senator from New York. “She and I share many of the same deeply held beliefs.”

Harkin wrote in his op-ed that they both believe everyone should be able to find well-paying jobs, that every child should receive the best education possible, that the elderly should be able to retire with dignity and security, and that everyone should have access to quality and affordable health care.

Harkin, the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act, also wrote: “Today, too many talented children face limits on their futures. They need a champion in the White House. I know Hillary Clinton will be that champion.”