Endorsements helped in 1998.

Following up on our recent posts on the value of endorsements, Dome's colleagues pointed us to the 1998 Democratic primary.

That year, endorsements helped then-unknown attorney John Edwards win a seven-person race.

In that race, Edwards was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the N.C. Association of Educators, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, among others.

The endorsements from black groups were notable, since there were two African-American candidates in the primary as well.

Of course, as Rob Christensen pointed out in a May 11, 1998, column, it also helped that Edwards spent $3.2 million of his own money on his campaign, including extensive television ads.