Union voters mobilized in historic numbers to secure sweeping landmark victories up and down the ballot across the country, including a record number of union member candidates elected to office. The organizing was driven by the AFL-CIO’s largest-ever midterm mobilization, with a singular focus on the pocketbook issues voters said were their top priority.
At the 30th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention in June, the nation’s largest labor federation set a goal of turning out at least 2 million more union voters in this election than in 2022. To reach that, AFL-CIO turned out tens of thousands of volunteers, who reached more than 16 million union voters. The program made a concerted effort by reaching out to several million disengaged voters, many of whom lived in a union member’s household but had never previously been contacted by a union volunteer.
As a direct result of this work, union voters turned out in historic numbers. Exit polls showed union households voted 21 points more for Democrats than Republicans nationwide, shaping results that were decisive for control of Congress.
“This blue wave was union-made. The billionaires had the money in this election, but working people had the power,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “The people who make this country run issued a clear mandate.”
639 union members and counting have been elected—which means a record high number of union members will be seated in elected office next year, including Ironworker Brian Poindexter in Ohio's 7th District
The labor movement’s deep, year-round, nationwide infrastructure was behind further historic gubernatorial and congressional victories like Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton in Ohio.