Revenge of the labor movement: Democrats with union backgrounds aim to retake Congress
Meet the candidates with labor ties vying for Senate and House seats in midterm races. Most of the nominees are Democrats as the party looks to rebuild support among working-class voters The US labor movement is having a banner election year. More than three dozen nominees for open House and Senate races across the US have backgrounds as labor union representatives or members. Continue reading...
Labor movement makes a strong push in midterm elections, with many Democratic candidates boasting union backgrounds. Over three dozen nominees for Senate and House seats have ties to labor unions or membership, signaling a potential shift in voter support. Most of these candidates are Democrats, targeting heavily blue districts and closely contested races. Democrats aim to rebuild support among working-class voters by centering campaign messaging around affordability issues.
Steve Smith, a spokesperson for the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US, claims that union candidates offer an unmatched level of trust and credibility compared to their political counterparts. A study by Cal State and UCLA researchers found that working-class voters are 6.4 percentage points more likely to support a candidate with a working-class occupation. However, working-class candidates make up a meager 8-14% of Democratic congressional candidates and 5-8% of Republican candidates.
Union candidates emphasized pro-worker themes 159% more than non-union candidates, according to a 2026 report by the Center for Working-Class Politics. Despite labor union approval rates, which have remained steady at around 68% since 2025, union density has declined from over 30% in the 1950s to 10% in recent years. In 2024, Donald Trump sought to court labor leaders and blue-collar voters with populist trade promises, but his efforts fell short. Union members overwhelmingly preferred Joe Biden over Trump in the 2024 election.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
