Union-Backed Candidates Win Major Primaries

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/09/13/union-backed-candidates-win-major-primaries/

Union-Backed Candidates Win Major Primaries

Working families showed their political strength in Tuesday’s primary votes by propelling pro-worker candidates in nine primaries into the November elections.

As part of the union movement door-to-door voter education walks in some two dozen states, union volunteers began talking with union families weeks ago about the critical issues at stake in the Nov. 7 elections. Even before Labor Day, union-member-to-union-member contact resulted in more than 1.3 million calls to union members and their households and more than 1.1 million pieces of mail and more—all part of the AFL-CIO education and mobilization initiative—Labor 2006—to elect candidates who will stand up for working family issues.

(Click here to register to vote, access state-by-state issues guides, download candidate comparison leaflets and more. Union members who want to volunteer for walks and other get-out-the-vote actions should click here to sign up).

In one of the closest primary races, Maryland Democrat and long-time union supporter Rep. Ben Cardin won the nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes. Cardin, who received the AFL-CIO endorsement, will face Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) in a race the national Republican Party has made a top priority. President George W. Bush already has visited Maryland twice to raise funds for Steele.

In Maryland’s race for governor, Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D), who is endorsed by the AFL-CIO and many of the state’s unions, will face incumbent Robert Ehrlich.

Also, in the race for the Maryland House of Delegates District 23A, Gerron Levi, the AFL-CIO assistant legislation director, won the Democratic nomination for one of two seats. For a detailed look at the union-backed winners in Maryland and the District of Columbia, click here.

FULL story at link above.