CWA Activists Help Build Democratic Majorities in State Legislatures

TESU members present State House candidate Joe Moody with a COPE check before going on a block walk in El Paso. Moody won back his seat in House District 78 after his very narrow loss in 2010.

CWA activists helped switch a number of state legislatures from Republican control to Democratic majorities in Election 2012, or reduced the super-majority that Republicans had held in some states. This means more breathing room for activists to ward off attacks on workers' bargaining rights and the opportunity to make some real progress on issues that help working families.

About 200 more Democratic state legislators were elected this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Colorado House moved from red to blue, and both House and Senate now have Democratic majorities. Maine and Minnesota also have legislatures in which both bodies have Democratic majorities now, following a takeover by the GOP in 2010. In New Hampshire, the House moved to a Democratic majority.

CWAers were a big part of a huge change in New York. The Senate, which had been in Republican control for most of the past 75 years, now has a Democratic majority. It's a big breakthrough in terms of passing key legislation in the state.

Despite a scare in New Mexico, Democrats held on to the majority in the Senate and have an eight seat majority in the House, a critical gain for CWA public sector members in the state.

In Arizona, CWA activists were able to eliminate the Republican super-majority in the House and Senate, moderating the ability of Republicans to move forward with attacks on workers.

In California, CWAers and union allies defended the Democratic super-majorities in both state bodies. This will stymie attacks on workers' political voices and other issues. And Illinois voters put Democratic super-majorities in place in the legislature in that state.

In Texas, the state Senate now is filibuster-proof and several new representatives were elected to the state House.

Democratic gains in House and Senate seats also were made in Pennsylvania and Iowa, where a Democratic majority in the Senate stays in place.