How Obama Became NEA's Recommended Candidate

Obama was one of many to respond. Sen. John McCain chose not to return the Council’s questionnaire, so he did not get an interview. After a studied analysis of the acceptable candidates and their positions on everything from professional pay to No Child Left Behind, the PAC then unanimously asked the NEA’s Representative Assembly (RA) to recommend that members support Obama. The RA made the final decision by a secret ballot vote in July, when 80 percent of delegates voted in favor of Obama. The vote was well above the minimum of 58 percent required by NEA bylaws.