April 12, 2012 – One of the largest grassroots labor organizations in Washington, the Public School Employees of Washington/SEIU1948, today announced its endorsement of Steve Hobbs for U.S. Congress in the 1st Congressional District. This announcement makes Hobbs the one of the first candidates in the race to receive a major statewide union endorsement.
 
“Steve Hobbs has demonstrated the courage to stand up for working families in Washington,” said Reen Doser, a paraeducator in the Lake Stevens School District. “Steve has worked hard in the state legislature to guarantee quality, affordable health coverage for our members. We need to see Steve Hobbs’ brand of leadership right now in Washington, D.C.”
 
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of these 26,000 hard working employees from our public schools,” said Hobbs. “I’ve worked closely with PSE for years now – advocating for affordable health coverage for working families and for improved safety on our school buses. I look forward to continuing to work with them to improve the lives of working men and women here in Washington.”
 
“While the other candidates for Congress have been using their personal wealth to talk about what they would do, Steve Hobbs has been working with us to make the lives of our members better while saving taxpayer dollars,” said school bus driver Ross Wood from Mount Baker. “That’s the kind of proven leadership we need in Washington, D.C.”
 
For the past two years, Hobbs has sponsored legislation that would consolidate health insurance purchasing for public school employees, improving  administrative efficiency, transparency, and equity.
 
Among endorsers and donors, Hobbs campaign for Congress has support from the business community, labor organizations, Native Americans, veterans, women’s health care rights advocates, human rights advocates, social services advocates, and communities of color.
 
Steve Hobbs was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010 to the Washington State Senate in a district -- similar to the new 1st Congressional District -- that is politically balanced among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
 
In addition to his service in the Washington State Senate, Hobbs currently serves as an officer in the Washington Army National Guard and proudly served in Iraq and Kosovo. He and his wife Pam have three boys and currently live in Lake Stevens.
 
To learn more about Steve Hobbs’ campaign for U.S Congress, please visit www.HobbsForCongress.com, ‘like’ his campaign page on Facebook (Facebook.com/ElectHobbs), and follow his campaign on Twitter (@Hobbs4Congress).
 
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Watch video of Hobbs addressing members of PSE in Olympia in January: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9xzY2PQePU