OS ANGELES - Vice President Al Gore, who has endured weeks of bad political news and ever-tightening polls, yesterday hailed the all-but-certain endorsement of the AFL-CIO as a campaign turning point that will provide thousands of key organizers and millions of dollars in financial support.
''This is a lift for the campaign. This puts us in a strong position to win the nomination,'' Donna Brazile, who was promoted to be Gore's campaign manager in a recent shake-up, said in an interview yesterday. ''In 1992, labor provided one-quarter of the delegates to the Democratic convention, so this is important.''
AFL-CIO political director Steve Rosenthal said the endorsement, which is to be made official today, will provide Gore with an unspecified amount of money - he called it ''gazillions'' - as well as invaluable support from organizers who can turn an election in key states such as Iowa, California, and New York.
Despite the optimistic words, the AFL-CIO endorsement hardly assures Gore a victory over his lone rival for the nomination, former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley. Some unions are likely to go their own way, endorsing Bradley or perhaps the Republican nominee. And union members don't always take the suggestion of the party leadership. Still, the AFL-CIO remains one of the most important political and financial players in Democratic politics.
Gore can use all the help he can get. In the most recent round of bad news for Gore, a CNN-USA Today poll found that Gore leads Bradley 51 percent to 39 percent among likely Democratic primary voters. By comparison, the same poll taken last month found Gore ahead 63 percent to 30 percent.
Bradley's strength until recently has been concentrated in the few early primary and caucus states where he has campaigned heavily. The poll indicated that the burst of positive publicity that Bradley has received in the past few weeks has translated into national support.
Rosenthal acknowledged that the union membership and support might be less important in some early states such as New Hampshire, Delaware, and South Carolina. But he said it could be a decisive factor in many other states, particularly the large bloc that votes March 7.
''We firmly believe that Al Gore can win the nomination and the White House, and we think he is a much better candidate than the media depicts,'' Rosenthal said.
The endorsement has been all but certain for days. John J. Sweeney, the labor federation president, said in an interview last week that the only question was when the endorsement would come. Last night, erasing any doubt that Gore would be endorsed today, the AFL-CIO's political committee voted behind closed doors to recommend that Gore get the organization's nod. Out of about 20 unions represented at the meeting, only the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers voted against the endorsement, according to labor officials who attended the session.
''The endorsement of the AFL-CIO is very valuable because it allows for mobilizing 13 million members around the country,'' Sweeney said after the committee's action. Asked whether the endorsement would make a difference in Gore's campaign, Sweeney replied, ''Definitely. You think we would endorse a loser?''
Gore declined to speak publicly about the endorsement until it becomes official today, but he said through his spokesmen that he expected it to be a turning point.
''This is really the first primary of the Democratic campaign,'' spokesman Chris Lehane said at the Los Angeles convention center where the AFL-CIO convention is being held - and which is also the site of next year's Democratic national convention. Lehane said the endorsement was ''good groundwork'' for winning the nomination at the convention center next year.
Gore arrived in Los Angeles yesterday and promptly began visiting the hotels of union presidents, thanking them for support.
While Bradley had little hope of snaring the AFL-CIO endorsement, the former senator did hope to delay it for several months. Bradley spent considerable time courting the Teamsters, siding with the union in its request to block Mexican trucks with imported goods from crossing the US border until more inspectors are hired. While Bradley helped write the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA), he hoped his support of the delay of the truck-crossing measure would translate into union support. Gore, also a NAFTA backer, has also said he is reviewing the truck issue.
But Gore, as the vice president, has used the advantages of his office to court labor, and President Clinton has worked hard on Gore's behalf, promising to implement pro-labor policies and meeting last Thursday in New York City with James Hoffa.
While union membership has been declining, it is still important politically. The AFL-CIO believes that labor played a major role in the election of Democratic governors in Iowa and California in 1988. Still, labor strength varies greatly from state to state. Lehane said, for example, that union members make up 20 percent of likely Democratic voters in New Hampshire, 28 percent in New York, 36 percent in California, and 38 percent in Ohio.
Rosenthal said that as soon as the endorsement is announced today, the AFL-CIO will begin conducting state-by-state meetings aimed at organizing the Gore vote. The labor leaders will work closely with the Gore campaign and state organizations to register voters, especially minorities, and launch get-out-the-vote drives.
''We intend to run a very positive campaign about Al Gore,'' Rosenthal said.
Bradley campaign officials could not be reached for comment last night on the endorsement.
Gore's win with labor did not come without a glitch.
Tennessee AFL-CIO president Jim Neeley, attending the convention, made excuses for the vice president, whose campaign hired a non-union contractor last week to do the initial wiring of his new Nashville headquarters.
Modern Electrical Contracting had 30 phone and computer lines installed for Gore by last Friday, when the New York Daily News first reported the contract. They were pulled from the job Friday night.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
