Gephardt to Endorse Kerry

Rep. Dick Gephardt, the former House minority leader whose presidential campaign collapsed in Iowa's caucuses, will endorse Democratic front-runner John Kerry, a Democratic official said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Missouri lawmaker will give Kerry his backing in Warren, Mich., a blue-collar suburb of Detroit, on Friday. The endorsement is a huge boost for Kerry who has been aggressively pursuing the backing of labor unions who had thrown their support to Gephardt.