With Dodd out, fire fighters say they will wait until March

DES MOINES – The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) announced Thursday night that it will wait until March before getting back in the game after its endorsed candidate, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) withdrew from the race. One IAFF source said the union will likely use the time between now and March to continue to go after former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R).

{mosads}After Dodd finished with less than 1 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses, the IAFF said it fought hard for Dodd against “the toughest odds,” and it currently has no plans to back another candidate.

“Going forward, we will let the process play out,” IAFF president Harold Schaitberger said in a statement.  “Sometime after March, we will begin to reevaluate the remaining candidates and once again begin the process of determining which candidate deserves the support of America's professional fire fighters and emergency medical workers."

The release from Schaitberger said that the IAFF’s “strong effort” is still “coveted” by the remaining candidates.

The IAFF was widely credited with helping propel Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to victory in Iowa in 2004.

Despite Dodd’s anemic showing, the IAFF said it had twice as many members caucus Thursday night than it did in 2004 when Kerry won.