Glover stumps for Edwards at local soul food restaurant

Stephono Stowers went to the new location of M&M Chicken and Waffles on Saturday expecting nothing more than a tasty meal.

He got a bonus, though -- a visit from actor Danny Glover and possibly a switch in who he's backing Jan. 19 in Nevada's presidential nominating caucus.

Glover, known for roles in "Predator 2," "Dreamgirls" and the "Lethal Weapon" series, visited the restaurant on Martin Luther King Boulevard to make the case that John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee, should head the Democratic ticket in 2008.

"We just ended up stumbling on a good speech," Stowers said after listening to an eight-minute soliloquy from a fired-up Glover. "I actually like (Barack) Obama, but listening to how serious he was about John Edwards, it makes you think.

"Take another look? Definitely."

Polls show that, in Nevada, Edwards needs people to take a second look, as his support has lagged that of Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Elsewhere, the picture is sunnier. Two recent polls in Iowa, where caucus-goers will vote Jan. 3, show Edwards within a few percentage points of Clinton and Obama, although he's still in third place.

Glover said he became a fan of Edwards' last year when the two men rallied support in Massachusetts for low-wage hotel workers.

Edwards is "the first presidential candidate I've heard talk about unions," Glover said. "Unions become our hedge against poverty, our road to looking at the future ... the issues around living wage, benefits, health care."

Local resident Tiffany Greene was also in the restaurant to hear Glover speak, and said she was moved by his concern that black communities in cities across the country are struggling.

"Those are serious issues," she said, noting that so far she's looked at supporting Clinton, as well as Republicans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. "If John Edwards is concerned about these things ... it convinced me to take a look at him."

Glover is but one example of candidates tapping well-known entertainers to boost their campaigns.

Obama's campaign announced this week that Kathryn Joosten, star of the television shows "Desperate Housewives" and "The West Wing," was joining phone bank volunteers Saturday in his Las Vegas office.

Obama, of course, has also been the recipient of support from TV host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

Barbra Streisand put her star power behind Clinton. Martin Sheen, who played a president on TV, supports New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

And, most bizarrely, actor Chuck Norris sat down beside Huckabee to trade compliments, which included the former Arkansas governor saying, "There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard -- only another fist."

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@ reviewjournal.com or (702) 229-6435.