By Bill Raack, Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Missouri congressman Dick Gephardt threw his support behind fellow democrat John Kerry Friday in the Massachusetts Senator's bid for the presidential nomination.
Gephardt was a candidate for president himself until last month, when he finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses.
He dropped out of the race but failed to endorse another Democrat until Friday.
Gephardt says Kerry has the qualifications necessary to win the presidency.
"We need a leader who can defeat George Bush in November in the general election and we need a leader who we all know who can walk into the oval office tomorrow afternoon and be a great President of the United States."
Gephardt had strong backing from organized labor, an asset that can now shift to Kerry. Labor groups are expected to endorse Kerry after union presidents brief their members over the next week.
Bob Kelley, president of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, says his group is waiting to see what the national AFL-CIO does first.
"Senator Kerry would make an outstanding president, and Senator Edwards would make an outstanding president," Kelley said. "And so, I feel like whatever way it ends up, that the Democratic party will have a strong standard bearer in November."
Kelley says the Council never formally endorsed Gephardt, but members did campaign for him last month in Iowa.
Other unions, including the Missouri National Education Association and the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council say they will also wait.