The UAW Wave Has Hit Our Shores

The UAW’s Endorsements of Candidates Lead to Primary Victories in New York

The union’s support for certain candidates contributed to primary election outcomes this summer. The effort forms part of an ongoing strategy to increase the union’s role in electoral politics.

During Claire Valdez’s campaign this year to represent New York’s 7th Congressional District, the phrase “Claire was there” appeared in statements from labor organizers and campaign supporters. The phrase referred to Valdez’s attendance at worker actions in New York City while serving in the State Assembly, including picket lines, union rallies, and fundraisers.

A benefit event held in March raised funds to send Amazon workers to an organizing conference sponsored by the magazine Labor Notes. At the event, a Teamsters organizer used the phrase. Attendees including delivery drivers and union members repeated “Claire was there.” The reporter had observed Valdez at several prior events: a 2024 picket line outside an Amazon warehouse in Queens, a September 2025 rally concerning allegations at Brooklyn Defender Services, and a strike by Long Island Rail Road workers outside Penn Station. In each case, Valdez participated alongside workers.

Valdez later stated she initially disliked the slogan. She referenced the 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign slogan “Not Me, Us” and said she preferred messages that emphasized collective action over individual candidates. She added that her participation resulted from prior organization and that she viewed the labor movement as belonging to its members collectively. She later accepted a modified version of the slogan that noted she had not acted alone.

Valdez won her primary. Other candidates endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani—Darializa Avila Chevalier and Brad Lander—also won congressional primaries. The outcomes occurred alongside wins by additional candidates backed by the UAW. Fifteen UAW-endorsed candidates for the State Assembly won primaries, as did all five UAW-endorsed State Senate candidates. In ten of the races, the endorsed candidates defeated incumbents. The UAW reported that more than 500 members participated in canvassing, rallies, and phone banking that reached more than 50,000 voters.

Brandon Mancilla, regional director for UAW Region 9A, stated that when members decide to participate in an activity, the union commits resources to it.

The UAW’s political program operates under the leadership of President Shawn Fain, who took office after a 2023 runoff election. Fain and other leaders, including Mancilla, campaigned on promises of greater transparency and member participation. The union’s endorsement process now includes interviews and deliberations conducted through local Community Action Program councils. Mancilla said members seek a union that addresses both workplace and political issues. He noted that endorsed candidates have participated in contract bargaining, workplace organizing, and strikes.

The UAW has maintained a political program for decades. Former president Walter Reuther linked electoral participation to bargaining outcomes. Before 2023, endorsements were made by union leadership with limited member input. The current leadership took office after a period that included federal corruption cases involving prior officers. Since then, the union has conducted the 2023 Stand Up Strike against the Big Three automakers and continued organizing efforts at plants in the South.

In New York, the UAW endorsed candidates who differed from those supported by other unions. Valdez’s opponent, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, received endorsements from 32BJ SEIU, RWDSU, and District Council 37. In the prior mayoral primary, the UAW endorsed Mamdani early, while other unions appeared with former governor Andrew Cuomo at a Union Square event. Public-sector unions in New York have frequently endorsed incumbents.

Mancilla described the union’s approach as requiring active member support rather than simple logo placement on campaign materials. Region 9A has applied this method in New York while the union has conducted similar work in other states. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed won a U.S. Senate primary with UAW support. The union reported that nearly 800 members knocked on 15,000 doors, made 145,000 phone calls, and helped turn out 112,887 UAW voters during early voting.

Valdez stated that the union’s work addresses the departure of some working-class voters from the Democratic Party. She used the term “hot shop” to describe current organizing conditions.

Hoda Mitwally, a legal aid attorney and UAW member for a decade, said member engagement with political activities increased after 2023. She described the union previously as focused on workplace stability and noted that reform leadership created new channels for member involvement in broader political questions.

In summer 2024, the New York City CAP Council held membership meetings to discuss the mayoral race before Andrew Cuomo announced his candidacy and before Eric Adams faced federal charges. The council used a 50-point questionnaire drawn from member input and held candidate forums. The resulting endorsements included Mamdani, Lander, and Jessica Ramos, each of whom had attended UAW events. Jane Fox, chair of the New York City CAP Council, said member participation and meeting transparency contributed to the program’s reach. Region 9A has added members in academia, cultural institutions, and legal aid over the past five years.

In May 2025, the UAW became the largest union in the city to rank Mamdani first on ballots while he trailed Cuomo by nearly 20 points in polls. Members treated the effort as comparable to a workplace organizing campaign. The UAW held a kickoff canvass in the South Bronx, where Mamdani’s support was seen as weak and the fluency