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Abstract
[James J. Lawlor], a conservative probate judge from Waterbury, narrowly defeated Lynn H. Taborsak, a state lawmaker and union plumber from Danbury. The AFL-CIO had endorsed Taborsak in the primary.
Taborsak supporters -- including leaders of the International Association of Machinists, District 1199 of the New England Health Care Employees Union and the United Auto Workers -- thought the labor federation shouldn't endorse Lawlor before Taborsak decides whether to mount a third-party challenge. She is supposed to announce a decision today. So they challenged the push to endorse Lawlor, causing a raucous debate on the convention floor at the Sheraton-Hartford Hotel. The effort to endorse Lawlor fell short of the two-thirds vote needed -- though it still scored a solid majority of almost 59 percent.
[Dominic J. Badolato] said he believes much of the opposition stems from personality differences between the leadership of certain unions and the top leaders of the labor federation, including Badolato and John W. Olsen, the AFL-CIO president.