[from the DECEMBER 2018 TSEU UPDATE]
recap and analysis
Wins by TSEU-endorsed candidates help strenghten state employee positions at the legislature
The 2018 election has come to a close. With a lot of hard work by TSEU members, the results were an incredible success for state workers and the services we provide. Congratulations and well-done to all the union members who knocked on doors, made phone calls, or participated in a candidate-screening. These election-night victories will put state employees in a much stronger position when we are fighting for a pay raise and increased funding in the 2019 Legislative Session.
In all, 12 State House seats were picked up by new, pro-state employee candidates. Seven of these seats were formerly held by anti-union state representatives who supported stripping state workers of the right to have our union dues deducted from our paychecks. TSEU members also helped elect 2 new state senators in elections against anti-state worker senators like Sen. Don Huffines (SD 16), who sponsored legislation to take away our longevity pay in the last legislative session.
In addition to replacing anti-state employee lawmakers, TSEU must also defend our allies in the Legislature. That is why TSEU endorsed and did work to re-elect 4 strongly pro-state employee incumbents: HD 34 Abel Herrero, HD 107 Victoria Neave, 117 Phillip Cortez, and HD 144 Mary Ann Perez and one current supporter seat, HD 118 Leo Pacheco, that could have all been lost. All five of these races were successfully defended!
We also targeted key races to strengthen our allies in the next Legislature. TSEU endorsed, donated and did election work in nine House districts and three State Senate districts. Our hard work in these races paid off big! We won 8 of the 9 House seats and 2 of the 3 State Senate races that we worked on. There were also an additional four House seats that elected supportive candidates across the state! This brings the breakdown of Democrats to Republicans in the House from 55 to 95 in the 2017 session to 67 to 83 in the 2019 Session. This will have an enormous impact on the election of a new Speaker of the House. The Senate will now be at 12 Democrats to 19 Republicans. When we organize, WE WIN!
Wins in TSEU Endorsed Races
The campaigns of the winning candidates listed here were given COPE contributions and/or had active participation from TSEU members in the form of block walks, phone banks and other campaign support work. TSEU work and COPE contributions also went toward Joanna Cattanach’s campaign for HD 108 and Rita Lucido’s race for SD 17; unfortunately, these candidates fell just short of victory.
Defended State House Seats
- HD 34 – Abel Herrero
- HD 107 – Victoria Neave
- HD 117 – Phillip Cortez
- HD 118 – Leo Pacheco
- HD 144 – Mary Ann Perez
TSEU-endorsed State House challengers
- HD 105 – Terry Meza
- HD 113 – Rhetta Bowers
- HD 114 – John Turner
- HD 115 – Julie Johnson
- HD 45 – Erin Zwiener
- HD 47 – Vicki Goodwin
- HD 52 – James Talerico
- HD 136 – John Bucy
TSEU-endorsed State Senate challengers
- SD 10- Beverly Powell
- SD 16- Nathan Johnson
Additional House seat victories by TSEU allies:
- HD 65- Michelle Beckley
- HD 102- Ana-Maria Ramos
- HD 132- Gina Calanni
- HD 135- Jon Rosenthal