Massachusetts AFL-CIO Announces First Round of 2010 Election Endorsements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:    Tim Sullivan, Massachusetts AFL-CIO, 617-680-2344, tsullivan@massaflcio.org

                     Jim Farrell, PR First, 781-681-6616, jfarrell@prfirst.com

MassachusettsAFL-CIO Announces First Round of 2010 Election Endorsements

MALDEN, MA, ISSUED AUGUST 24, 2010…After votes by its Executive Council’s Committee on Political Education (C.O.P.E.) on Thursday August 19, 2010, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO today announced its first round of endorsements in races for state and federal level offices. In order to be eligible for endorsement, candidates for open state legislative seats must submit a letter requesting endorsement and complete a candidate questionnaire in advance of the meeting. For incumbent state legislators, a minimum 75-percent Labor Voting Record over the previous two successive legislative sessions (2007-2010) is required in addition to filling out a candidate questionnaire and requesting the endorsement in writing. Statewide officeseekers must complete a candidate questionnaire, participate in a candidates’ forum and request the endorsement in writing. Candidates for open congressional seats must request the endorsement in writing, fill out a candidate questionnaire and participate in a candidates’ forum. Federal level incumbents are endorsed based on their record of supporting working families in Massachusetts. All endorsements must be made by a two-thirds majority of the C.O.P.E. committee.

Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert J. Haynes praised all the endorsed candidates, saying: “These candidates for public office showed a commitment to working families not only in their performance as a candidate or elected official, but also in their pursuit of our endorsement. It is not easy to qualify for or earn our endorsement because working families expect the very best and most dedicated service on our behalf. Working families need these kinds of candidates to stand up to corporate greed and turn around our economy. We need candidates that understand how important workers and wage-earners are to our economic strength as a nation, and how important secure families are to building strong communities. We need elected officials with character, courage and commitment to fighting for the quality of life of all workers. These candidates demonstrated that kind of character, courage and commitment either through their campaigns or their service in office already. We are honored by their clear demonstration of support for the needs and concerns of working families, and we’ll put our entire political program to work to ensure they get elected and can vote and advocate for workers once in office.”

For elected officials involved in the legislative process, such as governor and state legislators, no endorsements were considered for those without primary challenges because the Mass. AFL-CIO believes there is still a great deal of legislative work to be done, especially on expanded gaming and on appropriating FMAP funds before the end of this session. The next Mass. AFL-CIO C.O.P.E. endorsement meeting will be held on September 22, 2010 in Fitchburg, MA. The endorsed candidates in the first round of endorsements, based almost exclusively on whether they were running in a contested primary, were as follows (parentheses indicate union membership):

For Congress:

District Attorney Bill Keating

for election in the 10^th Congressional District

Congressman Stephen Lynch (IRON)

for re-election in the 9^th Congressional District

Congressman Michael Capuano

for re-election in the 8^th Congressional District

Congressman Edward Markey

for re-election in the 7^th Congressional District

Congressman John Tierney

for re-election in the 6^th Congressional District

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas

for re-election in the 5^th Congressional District

Congressman Barney Frank

for re-election in the 4^th Congressional District

Congressman Jim McGovern

for re-election in the 3^rd Congressional District

Congressman Richard Neal

for re-election in the 2^nd Congressional District

Congressman John Olver

for re-election in the 1^st Congressional District

For Statewide Office:

Steve Grossman

 for election as State Treasurer

No Endorsement

for election as State Auditor

William Galvin

for election as Secretary of State

Martha Coakley

for election as Attorney General

For State Senate:

State Senator Sal DiDominico

for re-election in the Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex district

State Senator Steven Tolman (TCIU)

for re-election in the Second Suffolk and Middlesex district

State Representative Michael Rush

for election in the Suffolk and Norfolk district

Ron Patenaude (UAW)

for election in the Hampden district

Michael Coogan (IAFF)

for election in the First Bristol and Plymouth district

Sheila Lyons

for election in the Cape and Islands district

For State Representative:

State Representative Christine Canavan

for re-election in the 10^th Plymouth district

State Representative Sean Curran

for re-election in the 9^th Hampden district

State Representative Mark Falzone

for re-election in the 9^th Essex district

State Representative Pam Richardson

for re-election in the 6^th Middlesex district

State Representative Rosemary Sandlin

for re-election in the 3^rd Hampden district

State Representative Stephen Stat Smith

for re-election in the 28^th Middlesex district

Tackey Chan

for election in the 2^nd Norfolk district

Kevin Conway

for election in the 22^nd Middlesex district

Mark Cusack

for election in the 5^th Norfolk district

Josh Cutler

for election in the 6^th Plymouth district

David Dennis

for election in the 8^th Bristol district

Denise Garlick (MNA)

for election in the 13^th Norfolk district

Barry Lawton (BTU)

for election in the 5^th Suffolk district

Paul Mark (IBEW)

for election in the 2^nd Berkshire district

Ray Medeiros (IBEW)

for election in the 9^th Bristol district

Rhonda Nyman

for election in the 5^th Plymouth district

Jared Parisella

for election in the 6^th Essex district