Union Organizers and Labor Veterans Run for Congress in 2026 Midterm Push

More than three dozen Democratic and independent nominees with backgrounds as labor union representatives or members are running for open House and Senate seats in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a Guardian analysis published September 19. Several candidates are running in heavily Democratic districts where November victories appear certain, while others face contested races that could determine control of both chambers.

The slate represents a deliberate effort by Democrats to rebuild support among working-class voters by elevating candidates who can speak directly to economic struggles, according to Steve Smith, spokesperson for the AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the United States. "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," Smith told the Guardian. Most nominees are Democrats, though some are running as independents in races where Democratic nominees withdrew or faced challenges.

Why Union Backgrounds Matter to Voters

A 2024 study by California State University and UCLA researchers found working-class voters are 6.4 percentage points more likely to prefer a 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 to 14 percent of Democratic congressional candidates and 5 to 8 percent of Republican candidates.

Union candidates invoked pro-worker themes 159 percent more frequently than non-union candidates, the Center for Working-Class Politics report found. Running more union members as candidates could increase the representation ordinary Americans have in Congress by elevating people who can speak to and deliver on issues affecting the working class, the report's authors argued.

Public support for labor unions reached 68 percent in 2025, according to Gallup's annual polling, even as union density declined from more than 30 percent in the 1950s to 10 percent in 2025. That decline correlates with a drastic increase in wealth and income inequality in the United States, labor economists have documented.

Senate Candidates With Organizing Roots

Abdul El-Sayed, running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, is a former member of the American Association of University Professors and other higher education unions from his work as a professor at Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and American University. The American Association of University Professors made its first-ever national political endorsement in backing his campaign.

In a July interview with the Guardian, El-Sayed explained his critique of corporate concentration: "If the markets actually worked the way they're supposed to, you might have some efficient movement of money. The problem is, we don't live in capitalism, we live in oligopoly."

Todd Achilles, a former American Federation of Teachers member from his work as a public policy professor, is running as an independent for the U.S. Senate in Idaho in a race where the Democratic nominee withdrew in July. Troy Jackson, running for the Senate in Maine, worked several past union jobs as a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, the International Association of Machinists, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the United Auto Workers, and the Laborers' International Union of North America.

Labor's Electoral Strategy After 2024

The push comes after the 2024 presidential election, in which Donald Trump sought to court labor leaders and blue-collar voters with populist trade promises. Exit polls and surveys conducted after the election found little evidence that union members shifted toward Trump, however. According to the VoteCast survey conducted for the Associated Press and Fox News after the 2024 election, union members preferred Kamala Harris over Trump by 16 percentage points, 57 percent to 41 percent, matching Joe Biden's 16-point lead with union households in 2020.

Trump resigned from the Screen Actors Guild in February 2021 rather than face disciplinary charges for violating the union's constitution regarding his actions and role in inciting the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In his resignation letter, Trump wrote "Who cares!" and accused the union of never doing anything for him. The union responded with a two-word statement: "Thank you."

Roughly 25 current members of Congress have previously worked in the labor movement or in a job represented by a union, according to the Guardian's count. The influx of new candidates with union backgrounds could more than double that number if victories materialize in November.

What Happens Next

The November 2026 midterm elections will determine whether this strategy of fielding union-backed candidates translates into electoral gains for Democrats seeking to retake control of the House and possibly the Senate. Several nominees running in heavily blue districts are positioned to win almost certainly, while contested races in swing districts will test whether voters respond to candidates with direct labor organizing experience.

The outcome will also signal whether the Democratic Party's effort to rebuild its working-class coalition through messenger credibility—not just message—can counter decades of declining union membership and rising economic inequality. Union organizers and labor advocates are watching closely to see if elevating candidates who have walked picket lines and negotiated contracts can reverse the party's recent struggles with working-class voters.

If enough union-background candidates win, the new members could shift congressional debate on labor policy, potentially advancing stalled legislation on card-check organizing rules, sectoral bargaining frameworks, and enforcement of wage-theft protections that have faced resistance from business-aligned lawmakers in recent sessions.