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Machinist Member Wins House Seat in Special Election |
It’s official. Laura Richardson, a Machinist member won—with 67 percent of the vote—a special election Tuesday in California to fill the 37th Congressional District seat left open following the April death of Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D).
In July, we told you how Richardson, a member of the California State Assembly, finished at the top of an 18-candidate primary, but was forced into a runoff because she didn’t win a majority. With the continuing help of the Los Angeles labor movement, she took care of that in the four-candidate general election field.
For a number of years, Richardson served on the Long Beach City Council. The Machinists local in Long Beach represents some of the city’s employees.
During the primary, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor mobilized its members to turn out the vote for Richardson, with 1,140 volunteers who knocked on 17,000 union family doors in Long Beach, Compton, Carson and south Los Angeles. They made 45,000 phone calls to union voters and helped distribute some 166,000 pieces of literature. Union activists kept the pace up for the for general election.
After her win Tuesday, Richardson thanked supporters and said they had accomplished a lot in a short period of time.
We had to do in 120 days what normally would have taken two years to do….It’s been a great ride, and I look forward to my next challenge.
Richardson is a former aide to Millender-McDonald and served on the Long Beach City Council from 2000 until being elected to the State Assembly in November.
For the past several election cycles, the AFL-CIO has encouraged and trained union members in the nuts and bolts of successful campaigns. Richardson was a seasoned lawmaker before this congressional race, but the AFL-CIO program involves activists at all levels of political experience.
After all, who understands working family issues—health care, good jobs, education and more—better than union members? Some 3,500 union members have won office in recent years.
For more on union members in elected office, click here and here.
4 Comments
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What a great idea! Union members really understand the issues facing real people, and they will bring a lot of energy to their office. I’m sure Richardson will do an outstanding job in congress!
Congratulations to Laura Richardson!
Getting union members and true pro-union people into office is the only hope for working America and their families. The so-called “Republican” and “Democratic” parties have shown where their real interests lie, and it is not working America! (Do the richest 1% really need another tax break ?)
My husband’s Norwegian cousin is very active in his union and the Norwegian Labor Party. The Labor Party is very strong in Norway and restrains government and corporate interests over workers’ issues. They gained this power by supporting and voting for only union members and pro-union people for office.
It is a lot of work, but it is the only chance for working America to gain back the status they lost during the union and family-unfriendly Bush administration and to show future presidential administrations that workers and unions will be there standing up for their people. The unions have a lot of power if they can truly unite and stand together as one bloc against the anti-union environment. American unions have a lot of experienced, smart and caring people who could do a great job of representing working America. Let’s get these people elected!
Congratulations!!! Laura Richardson. Your union perspective will serve your constituents well. Good luck.
Congratulations sister Richardson! I sincerely hope that you will seriously consider two things: 1) get our soldiers out of Iraq! and 2) co-sponsor H.R. 676 the Medicare For All bill pending in Congress! 676 has the support of over 300 labor organizations across the U.S.