Labor activists are looking to fill the chambers of Congress.
The US labor movement is having a banner election year.
More than three dozen nominees for open House and Senate races across the US have backgrounds as labor union representatives or members.
Several nominees are running in heavily blue districts, making it almost certain they will win the seat in November’s midterms, while others are in highly contested races that are likely to determine control of the House and possibly the Senate. Most are Democrats, though some are running as independents.
The early success of so many candidates with ties to labor comes as Democrats work to rebuild their support among working-class voters, centering their campaign messaging around affordability issues.
But the messenger matters, too.
‘In a political environment that’s been dominated by wealthy elites for decades, union candidates provide a level of trust and credibility that’s simply unmatched,’ Steve Smith, a spokesperson for the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US, told the Guardian. ‘These candidates are at long last returning the levers of power to the people.’
A 2024 study by Cal State and UCLA researchers found working-class voters are 6.4 percentage points more likely to prefer a political candidate with a working-class occupation over one with an upper-class occupation.
Yet a 2026 report by the Center for Working-Class Politics found working-class candidates make up just 8-14% of Democratic and 5-8% of Republican congressional candidates.
Union candidates invoked pro-worker themes 159% more than non-union candidates, the report found. Running more union members as candidates, its authors argued, could increase the representation ordinary Americans have in Congress, by elevating people who can speak to and deliver on issues that affect the working class.
‘Voters want elected leaders who understand the struggles working people face in an economy rigged against us,’ Smith said. ‘In every area of the country, at every level, union members are running for office and winning because they bring lived experience in leveling the playing field for workers and creating a brighter future for our families.’
Americans overwhelmingly favor labor unions, according to recent annual Gallup polls, with 68% approving labor unions in 2025. But union density has been on a decline in recent decades, from more than 30% in the 1950s to 10% in 2025, correlating to a drastic increase in wealth and income inequality in the US.”
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