Arizona AFL-CIO Announces the 2008 Congressional Primary Endorsements

Today the Arizona AFL-CIO is pleased to announce our Congressional Primary Election endorsements. The endorsements come from an extensive interviewing process and Legislative voting record review with U.S. Congressional candidates. As the largest organization of unions in the state representing 165,000 union members in addition to their families, the Arizona AFL-CIO endorsement is considered crucial for the success of many of the candidates. The primary will be held on September 2, 2008.

Rebekah Friend, Executive Director of the Arizona AFL-CIO stated, “It is a pleasure to endorse candidates of this caliber. These candidates share our vision of what is important to Arizona’s working families. These candidates support the issues that Arizona’s unions fight for everyday. Issues such as the workers right to join a union, access to affordable healthcare, and a stable and improved economy, and quality education.” Friend concluded, “There are many issues on the table that impact working families, and it is crucial for the future of Arizona that we elect those who are going to step up to the plate and fight for the issues that will move Arizona forward. We’re convinced that these candidates will do just that. We intend to put substantial resources forward to educate union members and their families on the views of our endorsed candidates and then ensure their successful election.”


Following is a list of the early endorsed Congressional candidates:

District Candidate

1 Ann Kirkpatrick (D)
2 John Thrasher (D)
3 Bob Lord (D)
4 Ed Pastor (D)
5 Harry Mitchell (D)
7 Raul M. Grijalva (D)
8 Gabrielle Giffords (D)

The Arizona AFL-CIO is an umbrella organization comprised of AFL-CIO affiliated local unions which represent over 165,000 union members and their families in the state of Arizona.