Connecticut voters elect Labor Champtions
Hundreds of union members, civil rights and civil liberties activists in Connecticut traveled to, and called voters in, Pennsylvania and other presidential battleground states this election season. They warned against the target on the rights of all women, immigrants, people of color in Trump's Project 2025 agenda.
Now, post election, building on their experience, they are turning disappointment into determination to continue organizing and building unity for the needs of the multi-racial working class post election.
“The results are in. We've been around for 100 years and 19 presidents. We have a plan to fight the Trump administration,” said the ACLU.
Along with choosing Kamala Harris fir President. Connecticut voters re-elected the entire Congressional delegation including Sen. Chris Murphy.
In a tightly fought race, Rep. Jahana Hayes, 5th CD, increased her vote. Despite record Republican campaign donations to her opponent George Logan, Hayes held her own emphasizing her commitment ot protect Social Security, Medicaid and other working class needs.
Hayes, a union member, teacher and the first Black woman elected to Congress from Connecticut, had broad support including form the Connecticut AFL CIO whose members knocked on doors in her district every weekend. She now makes history in serving her fourth term.
The sprawling district extends from New Britain to Meriden, Waterbury and Danbury. The AFL-CIO and SEIU knocked on a record number of doors with a record number of volunteers. One Meriden resident, who registgered to vote for the first time since moving to Connecticut from Purto Rico was grateful for the help.. “I voted for the women,” he declared.
Connecticut Working Families candidates won seven seats in the state legislature including Parker, Ann Rebecca Martinez in Plainville who campaigned with Hayes. In East Lyme, Working Families candidate Nick Menapace flipped a red state house seat blue.
At a large watch party at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, speaking before the presidential race had been determined, Rep. Rosa DeLauro emphasized the dangers of Project 2025 which proposed to undercut funding for all human needs and curtail the right to vote and the freedom for women to control their bodies.
Thanking all those who knocked on doors to bring out the vote, DeLauro emphasized the program she will push forward including restoration of the child tax credit, paid family and medical leave and constraints on corporate price gouging and greed.
Ed Hawthorne, president of the CT AFL CIO sent a post election message highlighting eight union members elected to office saying, “Volunteers from our unions knocked on the doors of over 50,000 members and their families, made nearly 7,000 calls to get out the vote, sent more than 14,000 text messages, and mailed over 110,000 pieces of mail. Their effort and dedication to supporting pro-union candidates made the difference in many of these races.
“Regardless of the results, labor will do what we always do: organize and fight for all working people in our state and our nation. Presidential administrations change, but the labor movement’s values do not.”
