Massachusetts AFL-CIO Announces Endorsements for the 2008 Elections

Utility Workers Union of America Local 369, Braintree, Massachusetts, June 27, 2008 - After reforming its endorsement procedures in March, the Executive Council of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is proud to announce its first round of endorsements in the 2008 election cycle voted on during its Executive Council Committee On Political Education (COPE) meeting this afternoon. In March the largest labor organization in the Commonwealth undertook a comprehensive overhaul of its endorsement procedures that seeks to heighten the level of candidate and elected official accountability. Part of the new endorsement procedures refined the timeline for when the Executive Council would take up endorsements of incumbents. At the Friday meeting, as a matter of procedure, motions were made to undertake endorsements for incumbent legislators without opponents and those with only general election opponents at a meeting after the legislative session concludes. Motions were made to endorse in federal elections, select state elections for open seats, and select incumbent legislators facing primary challengers. The candidates endorsed today, in the first round of 2008 endorsements, were:

Federal Offices:

Senator Barack Obama for U.S. President.

Senator John Kerry for U.S. Senate (previously endorsed in February and re-affirmed today).

The entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation.

For Open Seats in the State Legislature:

Ken Donnelly, Secretary-Treasurer of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, for State Senate in the race for the Fourth Middlesex District. Click here for Ken Donnelly's website.

Doug Belanger, Director of Organizing for UFCW Local 1445 and Leicester Selectman, for State Senate in the race to suceed Senator Ed Augustus in the Second Worcester District. Click here for Doug Belanger's website.

Representative James Eldridge for State Senate in the race to suceed Senator Pam Resor in the Middlesex and Worcester District. Click here for Jamie Eldridge's website.

Representative Jen Flanagan for State Senate in the race to suceed Senator Antonioni in the Worcester and Middlesex District. Click here for Jen Flanagan's website.

Julia Fahey, staff attorney for SEIU Local 5000/NAGE, for State Representative in the race to suceed Rachel Kaprelian in the 29th Middlesex District.

Danielle Gregoire for State Representative in the race to suceed Steve LeDuc in the 4th Middlesex District. Click here for Danielle Gregoire's website.

Ed Mills, Boston Carmen's Union member, for State Representative in the race to suceed Rep. Loscoco in the 8th Middlesex District. Click here for Ed Mills' website.

Jen Benson for State Representative in the race succeed Rep. Eldridge in the 37th Middlesex District. Click here for Jen Benson's website.

Jim Arciero for the State Representative in the race to succeed Rep. Geoffrey Hall in the 2nd Middlesex District. Click here for Jim Arciero's website.

Jim Cantwell for State Representative in the race to succeed Rep. Frank Hynes in the 4th Plymouth District. Click here for Jim Cantwell's website.

Kate Jackson for State Representative in the race to succeed Rep. Lepper in the 2nd Bristol District.

Candidates Challenging Incumbents:

Democrat Dan Carpenter for State Representative against Republican incumbent Representative Paul Frost in the 7th Worcester District.

Democrat Devin Romanul for State Representative against Republican incumbent Representative Frederick "Jay" Barrows in the 1st Bristol.

Democrat Jay Ferguson for State Representative against Republican incumbent Representative Vinny DeMacedo.

To earn the endorsement of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO an incumbent legislator must submit a request for endorsement in writing, achieve a labor voting record of greater than 75-percent in the immediate four years preceding the endorsement vote, and receive two-thirds support of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Executive Council in an endorsement vote. In its meeting on June 27, 2008 to determine endorsements, the Executive Council voted to endorse the following incumbent state legislators who are facing primary challenges.

Incumbents Endorsed for Re-Election Who Have Primary Challenges:

Rep. Willie Mae Allen

Rep. Patrick Natale

Rep. Mike Rush

Rep. Paul Kujawski

Rep. Harold Naughton

Rep. Ben Swan

Rep. David Sullivan

Senator Mark Montigny

Governor's Council Member Kelly Timilty

Special Friends of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO for the 2008 elections are traditionally determined at a later date and will be announced in the near future.

Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert J. Haynes made the following statement regarding these endorsements: “These candidates have thoroughly demonstrated their solid commitment to working families through a series of vetting processes, such as questionnaires, candidate nights, interviews, and in their performance fighting for workers in offices they've held. We are proud to endorse them in the 2008 elections, and we look forward to announcing more endorsements of supporters of working families as the general election approaches. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO pledges our time, organization, resources, energy, and passion into electing these pro-worker candidates to these important political offices. We will communicate with our members to inform them of the myriad reasons why these candidates are the best candidates for working families."