Mark Dayton

Mark Dayton

AFSCME Council 5, the state’s largest union for public employees, has endorsed former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton for governor.

“Mark Dayton has won statewide elections — twice,” said Eliot Seide, director of AFSCME Council 5, in a press release announcing the endorsement. “Minnesotans know and like Mark. That’s because he listens more than any other candidate. He wears his heart on his sleeve and it’s obvious that he cares about people.”

Dayton was elected to the Senate in 2000, but did not seek a second term. He also won a single term as state auditor in 1990. In addition, Dayton ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1982 and was defeated in a gubernatorial primary in 1998. He has stated that he will run in a primary election even if he does not receive the DFL endorsement.

According to the AFSCME Council 5, it spent nearly $1 million on the 2006 gubernatorial contest. In addition, the union mobilized more than 1,000 volunteers and 70 percent of its 43,000 members voted for the AFSCME-backed candidate. Nearly half of the union’s members are state employees.

The endorsement is another sign that organized labor will be divided about who to back in the crowded DFL field. The North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters kicked off the endorsement sweepstakes in May by backing state Sen. Tom Bakk. Teamsters Local 120 then announced in September that it’s backing Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak — even though he’s not officially a candidate for the post. Earlier this month state Rep. Paul Thissen earned the support of the Minnesota Nurses Association.