Teamsters endorse Obama for president -

. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, officially endorsed Sen. The 1.4-million Teamsters union endorsed Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday. CNN's Wolf Blitzer spoke exclusively with Teamsters president Jim Hoffa on Wednesday. "We came to the conclusion that Barack Obama gives us the opportunity to rebuild America and win in November," Hoffa said. "This endorsement is an important endorsement for him. He's excited about what it means to him in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas ... it's going to be important to all of labor and the American people," he added. The endorsement decision follows a meeting in Austin, Texas, between Hoffa and Obama, and completes a months-long process that included scientific polling of Teamster members, surveys of local union and joint council leaders and deliberations by the union's democratically elected General Executive Board, according to the union's press release.