You gotta have friends

With the Iowa caucuses 32 days away and the New Hampshire primary 37, the leading presidential candidates of both parties are in hot pursuit of endorsements -- from fellow pols, union leaders, desperate housewives, televangelists and just about anyone else. Here’s a sampling of some of the candidates’ supporters.

-Swati Pandey

--

Hillary Clinton

Walter Mondale: The former presidential candidate won Iowa in 1984.

Jan Perry: The councilwoman is one of Clinton’s most prominent African American supporters in Los Angeles.

Barbra Streisand: Though she’s also contributed to Obama and Edwards, the Oscar-winning singer-actress threw her support to Clinton.

American Federation of Teachers: The union has about 1.3 million members.

--

John Edwards

James Denton: The “Desperate Housewives” actor says Edwards is the first Democrat he’s supported.

Lars Ulrich: The drummer’s band, Metallica, was the first group to sue Napster for allegedly encouraging music piracy.

United Steelworkers and United Mineworkers of America: Their endorsements represent a significant bloc of union support.

David Obey: Edwards calls the House Appropriations chair a “good friend.”

--

Barack Obama

Eric Garcetti: The two-term council member is president of the L.A. City Council.

John Conyers Jr: The Democratic congressman from Michigan wants to impeach President Bush.

Zbigniew Brzezinski: President Carter’s former national security advisor is a leading foreign policy thinker.

Oprah Winfrey: The talk-show queen has made her first presidential endorsement.

--

Rudy Giuliani

Pat Robertson: The controversial televangelist and social conservative surprised the pundits by embracing a candidate not known for his family values.

Steve Forbes: The president and chief executive of Forbes Inc. announced his endorsement in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed article.

Pete Wilson: The former California governor is similarly moderate on social issues.

Bo Derek: The star of “10” supported both Bush 41 and Bush 43.

--

John McCain

Republicans for Environmental Protection: The conservation group was incorporated in 1996.

Former Prisoners of War: A shoo-in endorsement for the former prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Sam Brownback: The Kansas senator and former 2008 GOP presidential candidate likes McCain’s antiabortion stance.

Curt Schilling: The Red Sox pitcher picked McCain before Giuliani donned a Red Sox hat during the World Series.

--

Mitt Romney

Rick J. Caruso: The mall developer is best known for The Grove.

Orrin Hatch: The Utah Republican senator has defended his fellow Mormon.

Meg Whitman: The chief executive of eBay is one of the most powerful women in business.

Bob Jones III: Chancellor of the eponymous and controversial university that ended its ban on interracial dating only in 2000.