Working Americans Step Up and Win Big in 2018 Midterms

The best spokespeople for anyone running for elected office are everyday Americans spreading the word to their neighbors, co-workers, friends and relatives. That’s why public service workers who are AFSCME members came out this year across the nation to help elect candidates who support working families.

And we won big.

We won at every level of government and in almost every state. AFSCME members made our voices heard, helping our partners in For Our Future knock on 7.5 million doors and hold 925,000 conversations in targeted states.

Here are some of the candidates AFSCME members helped win on Election Day 2018.

Governor’s races

  • Tony Evers, Wisconsin
  • J.B. Pritzker, Illinois
  • Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania
  • Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan
  • Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico
  • Steve Sisolak, Nevada

U.S. Senate

  • Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota
  • Tina Smith, Minnesota
  • Jon Tester, Montana
  • Jacky Rosen, Nevada
  • Sherrod Brown, Ohio
  • Bob Casey, Pennsylvania
  • Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin

U.S. House of Representatives

AFSCME members helped elect representatives to Congress in the following states: Arizona, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

AFSCME Members Elected

Some current and former AFSCME members also took matters into their own hands and ran for office. In Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, Ilhan Omar, a state representative, overwhelmingly beat her Republican opponent to become the first refugee, the first Somali American and one of the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress. She is a former AFSCME member.

Also in Minnesota, AFSCME members Zack Stephenson and Kelly Moller won their races for the state legislature.

In Nevada, AFSCME member Catherine Byrne won election to serve as state controller.

November 6 was the day working families made our voices heard. In the midst of relentless attacks by billionaires and corporate interests, we spoke loud and clear, demanding bold changes to unrig the system against us.

The 2018 elections were held at a time of increasing support for labor unions and growing momentum for workers’ rights. Earlier this year, an anti-worker ballot measure was defeated in Missouri, and voters decided ballot measures in Florida, California and Hawaii in favor of the rights of working people.

Also this year, teachers in states like West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arizona made powerful statements by taking to the streets and demanding respect at work. So did thousands of AFSCME health care workers who voted overwhelmingly to strike against the University of California, demanding measures to address income inequality.

AFSCME’s I AM 2018 campaign inspired an unprecedented number of people who traditionally don’t vote to make it to the polls.

The officials who were elected on the promise to stand up for workers must now work to fulfill that promise by supporting the right to form unions without fear of employer reprisals. The women and men of AFSCME, the people who serve their communities day in and day out, will be there to hold them accountable.