$77 million dollars. That’s how much Linda McMahon spent trying to buy a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut. Despite the money she spent, McMahon could not buy the election. The same went for Bridgeport, where a proposal to make the Board of Education appointed by the mayor was soundly defeated. Michelle Rhee, head of the anti-teacher organization Students First, and a host of other groups attempted to take away voters’ rights to elect their local officials. Rhee and company spent tens of thousands of dollars attempting to buy a primary and a special election.
“This was a great night for our union and working families,” said Melodie Peters, president of AFT Connecticut. “The voters sent a clear message that our votes cannot be bought.”
From the President of the United States on down to State Representatives, AFT Connecticut endorsed candidates had a reason to celebrate on Tuesday night. Eighty-eight percent of AFT Connecticut endorsed candidates won their races. You can view the complete list of endorsed candidates and winners here.
The victories on election night were a direct result of AFT Connecticut members volunteering making phone calls and knocking on doors to get out the vote. Hundreds of AFT Connecticut members participated in labor-to-labor walks around the state in a massive mobilization to energize our voters.
“Political action is critically important to our success as a union,” said Stephen McKeever, vice-president of AFT Connecticut. “The candidates we elect have a direct impact on our work and our lives.”
Each of the national endorsed candidates won their election on Tuesday. At the state level 15 of 20 (75%) state senate endorsed candidates won and 53 of 58 (91%) state representative endorsed candidates.
“We are looking forward to working with our elected officials in the next legislative session,” said Peters. “From proper funding of public education and public services to healthcare and higher education we will be working to ensure that we continue to move Connecticut forward.”
This election added two new AFT Connecticut members to the state legislature, Edwin Vargas (Hartford) and Tim Bowles (Ledyard).
