New York City ? The International Association of Fire Fighters is set to endorse Democrat Chris Dodd for president, turning down better-known contenders in favor of a long-standing Senate ally whose campaign has struggled to gain traction.

Union President Harold Schaitberger was expected to announce the endorsement at a news conference in Washington this morning. Dodd and Schaitberger were then scheduled to travel together to Iowa for a full day of appearances Thursday, followed by joint campaign events in New Hampshire on Friday and Nevada on Saturday.

In an interview, Schaitberger said the Connecticut senator had earned the 280,000-member union’s backing because of his experience and longtime support of firefighters in Congress.

“He’s done more than vote right and be supportive – he’s really carried our water and been proactive on our behalf,” Schaitberger said. “And the other reason is that I really think he has the experience. Our board gave a lot of thought to this. He has the experience and the strength to lead this country in what we know is going to be tough times.”