When Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton arrived at Fresno High School last week for her first campaign stop in the San Joaquin Valley, she was introduced to the crowd by Selma's representative in the state Assembly.

"We clearly need friends in high places (in the Central Valley) and we clearly have one in Sen. Clinton," said Juan Arambula, D-Fresno. "After coming here today and meeting with students and all of you, Sen. Clinton will not forget about Fresno or the San Joaquin Valley. She will be a warrior and a champion for all of us."

Unlike Selma, where some local officials and their Assembly representative have endorsed Clinton, Kingsburg city council members have given mixed opinions.

For Kingsburg Councilman Milo Smith, Clinton will not be an option for endorsement.

"I don't support Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate," he said. "I don't really have any other opinion about the presidential race, but I've had enough of Hillary's husband, Bill, and I think the family has done their patriotic duty. I don't want to see her running for president."

Kingsburg Councilman Paul Kruper is waiting until it gets closer to election time before he chooses whether to endorse anybody for the presidential race. He said at this point he doesn't have enough information on the candidates to make a decision.

"Clinton could be a possibility when she's compared to other candidates," Kruper said. "Nobody has been eliminated yet."

According to a list on her campaign Web site, Clinton has endorsements from 55 party leaders from the central valley, including 41 current and former elected officials.

Selma councilmen Dennis Lujan and Jim Avalos, and Selma Unified School District board member Johnny L. Smith all endorse Clinton. Mayors and councilmembers from Dinuba, Orange Cove, Parlier, Fresno, Reedley are among those that have announced their endorsement for Clinton.

Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, represents Kingsburg in the state legislature. Parra, contacted Monday afternoon, did not return call seeking comment for this story. Her staff said that she has endorsed a presidential candidate, but did not state which one.

Selma Councilman Dennis Lujan has been and continues to be a big fan of Clinton.

"I came out in support of her a year ago," Lujan said. "I was even in support of her before she announced she was running. She's articulate, intelligent, and a breath of fresh air from what we have there (in office) right now."

Lujan said if enough people support Clinton to gain the presidency, she will "take care of the business of running the country and help us to stop becoming the target of terrorists."

Other local politicians, including Selma Mayor Don Tow, are not taking a stance on the issue.

"I'm elected to a non-partisan office, so I wouldn't be supporting or asking folks to support anyone," Tow said.

Selma Councilwoman Sandi Niswander said that it's too early in the presidential race for her to support any candidate, including Clinton.

"Sen. Clinton's office did contact me prior to coming to Fresno," she said. "I wanted to know what her platform was for the central valley, and they couldn't answer my questions."

Niswander asked how Clinton planned to address the air quality needs in the central valley that are greatly affected by the northern and southern California air. She also said she asked about the water storage issue, which she says will be an extremely critical issue for the valley.

"When I asked them about Temperance Flat, they didn't know what it was," Niswander said.

Niswander plans to take her time to review the candidates and their positions so that she can vote for the most qualified person.

The actual influence that local politicians' endorsements have for the presidential race are relatively minor, said Fresno State Political Science Professor Thomas Holyoke. But he thinks that Clinton is using the support as a way to push her rivals out of the primary elections.

"She is really trying to make the argument that she has the primaries pretty much wrapped up as far as California," said Holyoke, whose areas of expertise include election and presidential politics. "Getting endorsements from local officials in this part of California is part of that strategy."

He said that she is trying to show voters that she's not a "wide-eyed tax-paying liberal people make her out to be."

"Getting endorsements of leaders out here helps her show a more moderate image, which might help her attract independent voters and maybe a few Republicans," Holyoke said.

POSTED COMMENT ON THE KINGSBURG RECORD

R :LaBonte wrote on Nov 1, 2007 5:26 AM:

" Hillary Clinton is a totalitarian Marxist. She will not give you a straight answer on anything, for example, automatic voter registration for illegal aliens, which she supports, because she knows Americans don't agree with her communist views. Hillary Clinton wants open borders. She does not believe in private property rights. She wants the government to dictate every aspect of our lives. She will confiscate the internet and use it for Marxist propaganda. She will rule by Executive Order. She has admitted all these things. "