CWA and Political Allies Gain Election Victories in Louisiana, Indiana

CWAers made a huge difference in the May 3 election in Louisiana's 6th congressional district, sending pro-worker Democrat Don Cazayoux to the House of Representatives. It's the first time in 34 years that a Democrat has been elected from the strongly Republican district, where in the 2004 election, 59 percent of voters supported George W. Bush.

CWA helped elect new U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux (D-La.) shown getting a kiss from wife Cherie during mock swearing-in this week, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at right.

In Indiana, Jill Long Thompson, endorsed by CWA District 4 last December for governor, won the Democratic primary, thanks to the efforts of CWA, IUE-CWA and United Steel Workers locals throughout the state.

CWA District 4 Administrative Director and Legislative-Political Coordinator Linda Hinton said joint work with USW locals – leafleting at plant gates, phone banking and mobilization – was key to winning the close election. "CWA locals and IUE-CWA locals worked hard to make sure voters got to the polls," she said. She credited Justin Hawkins, Local 4818; Bob Browder, Local 4900 and CWA Representative Jerry Schaeff for making CWA's political program work so well.

"Jill Long is a candidate for working people, she's very good on our issues, especially the Employee Free Choice Act and health care," Hinton said.

In Louisiana, CWA also worked closely with the USW – as part of the unions' new political alliance – and with the state AFL-CIO to mobilize voters for Cazayoux. Even a million dollar campaign orchestrated by the National Republican Congressional Campaign and conservative organizations to turn voters against Cazayoux couldn't break the unions' efforts.  

Valerie Downing, the congressional district coordinator for CWA's Health Care Strategic Industry Fund campaign and a member of Local 3403, played a key part in CWA's get-out-the-vote and voter education effort.   

District 3 Legislative-Political Coordinator Beverly Hicks said CWA's strategy of using local people in local campaigns was proven successful again. "It makes all the difference when campaign people are familiar with the issues that people care about and the communities they live in," she said. "We really shook the halls of Congress," she added.

The NRCC ran television ads that linked Cazayoux to presidential candidates and Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Republicans were betting that this would turn away voters, but this tactic failed completely.

CWA and USW members leafleted together outside workplaces and other facilities, organized phone banks and made sure union members and voters got to the polls.  

CWA Representative Mike Fahrenholt said union members were proud that their hard work paid off. "We won all but two parishes in the district, and the Republican tactics really helped us," he said, adding "people voted on real issues."  Fahrenholt said CWA sees another opportunity in Louisiana's 4th district, where a longtime Republican is retiring.