The strength of our state’s labor movement was on full display when the election ballots were tallied here in Connecticut. An unprecedented “Get Out the Vote” effort propelled union-endorsed incumbents and challengers to victory in Congress and the General Assembly. The results bucked national trends, empowering members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated locals and our labor allies to inspire further organizing wins here at home and across the country.
Of the 101 candidates for federal and state legislative offices endorsed by our state federation’s executive committee, 88 won their respective races. That meant all six members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation up for re-election will return to Washington, D.C. next year. It also resulted in “veto-proof” majorities of pro-worker lawmakers in both chambers of the state legislature beginning in January.
“The outcome here in Connecticut showed what moves people to the polls,” said Ally Sexton, the chair of our state federation’s legislative/political action committee (LPAC). “Voters circled the oval for candidates who ran as champions for working families. It shows how a message of broad economic prosperity builds enthusiasm and wins campaigns,” she added.
Click here for press reporting on the results of the 2024 General Election in Connecticut.
Even more impressive were the outcomes for endorsed union activists who themselves ran for legislative office on the “labor is your neighbor” platform. Eighty-seven percent were victorious – including all eight of the members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated locals who stepped up to serve in the General Assembly.
They were carried to victory in large part by the scores of activists who volunteered to be part of the Connecticut AFL-CIO’s “2024 Labor Votes” campaign. Members of our state federation’s affiliates completed nearly 500 shifts canvassing union households, making phone calls and writing postcards between Labor Day and November 5th.
“Our members understood the assignment, did their homework and deserve extra credit for a job well done,” said AFT Connecticut Vice President John Brady, RN. “We weren’t alone – our labor siblings here at home and nationally really stepped up to get out the vote this year. I’m proud of our contribution to what was clearly a bright spot among the mixed overall outcomes across the country,” he added.
Click here for national reporting on the wider movement’s significant efforts during the 2024 General Election.
In Connecticut alone, union activists knocked on over 50,000 doors and made over 13,000 phone calls to their labor siblings over the nine week campaign. The unprecedented level of participation sets up a unique opportunity for our state’s movement to build on this year’s election successes through 2026.
It also serves as a beacon to uplift a historic wave of support for new union organizing that has swept the U.S. in recent years. The latest Gallup poll found that seven in 10 Americans support strengthening labor unions and that disapproval is at a historic six-decade low.
“The rest of the nation is counting on us to continue leading the way toward a better future for working people,” said AFT Connecticut President Jan Hochadel (second from left, in photo, above). “Everyone deserves a path to achieving the American dream. Here in Connecticut, we must continue showing that choosing ‘Union YES’ is the most effective means for doing so,” she added.
Click here for a full General Election report on AFT Connecticut-endorsed candidates.
