California Federation of Labor Unions Endorse for Governor and Other Statewide Races for 2026 Primary Election

Release Date: March 16, 2026

Media Contact: Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected], (916) 934-6963

California Federation of Labor Unions Endorse for Governor and Other Statewide Races for 2026 Primary Election

Sacramento, CA - (Monday, March 16, 2026) - The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO - representing more than 2.3 million union workers across the state - today announced the June primary endorsementsfor statewide constitutional offices, the state Legislature and Congress, following the conclusion of its 2026 Pre-Primary Endorsing Convention. The endorsements come with a promise to mount a massive grassroots campaign this year for candidates at every level who share the values of working people.

The 2026 Pre-Primary Convention kicks off the California Labor Movement's statewide mobilization for 2026, during which thousands of union volunteers will volunteer their nights and weekends in support of candidates who support Labor priorities, including establishing strong, commonsense safeguards for artificial intelligence and defending all workers from the anti-worker Trump Administration.

Today, delegates voted to endorse four candidates for governor in the June 2 primary election: Tom Steyer (D), Eric Swalwell (D), Antonio Villaraigosa (D) and Katie Porter (D).

"We have a spoil of riches when it comes to candidates who have a long history with our individual unions. Tom Steyer, Eric Swalwell, Antonio Villaraigosa and Katie Porter all earned such significant support from our unions, the only way to get to two-thirds required was to endorse all four,"said President Lorena Gonzalez. "This also allows us to communicate to our members about the anti-union candidates in this race. At the end of the day, our enemy is the Big Tech billionaires."

Other statewide constitutional office endorsements include:

• Fiona Ma (D) for Lieutenant governor
• Shirley Weber (D) for Secretary of State
• Rob Bonta (D) for Attorney General
• Malia Cohen (D) for Controller
• Eleni Kounalakis (D) for Treasurer
• A dual endorsement of Al Muratsuchi and Anthony Rendon for Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Nelson Esparza (D) for Board of Equalization District 1
• Sally Lieber (D) for Board of Equalization District 2
• Mike Gipson (D) for Board of Equalization District 3
• Tom Umberg (D) for Board of Equalization District 4

Following today's endorsement decision, delegates to the endorsement convention vowed to launch an unprecedented mobilization to get out the vote in June and November.

California Federation of Labor Unions endorsements are determined through a democratic process by which delegates to the convention - representing public and private sector and building trades unions - vote to support candidates. Delegates today voted on endorsements for the June primary only. General election endorsements for candidates and ballot measures will occur at the Federation's Biennial Convention in August.

You can find the complete list of candidate endorsements by clicking here.

For more information, or to set up an interview with Lorena Gonzalez to discuss these endorsements, please contact Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected].

The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO represents over 1,300 affiliated unions in California with over 2.3 million union members in trucking, retail, hospitality, janitorial, construction, health care, local and state government, education, arts and entertainment, warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, and every other sector of the economy.

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