2024 Committee on Political Education (COPE) Endorsing Convention Gives Sole Backing to Emily Randall
BREMERTON, WA— Today, State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Emily Randall announced that she received the only endorsement in the 6th Congressional District from the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO’s 2024 Committee on Political Education (COPE) Endorsing Convention.
Backing from COPE is one of the most consequential endorsements for candidates running for office in Washington, as delegates from unions across the state come together to decide which candidates have earned an endorsement from the Washington State Labor Council. A COPE endorsement comes with immense grassroots support, including volunteering and direct communication from unions to their members.
While COPE delegates often choose a dual endorsement or no endorsement in contested primaries, over the weekend delegates made the choice to back just one candidate for the 6th District: Emily Randall.
“Labor union delegates from the 6th Congressional District and across the state made their voices heard at COPE. And the opinion of the majority was clear: Senator Emily Randall has earned the sole endorsement of the Washington State Labor Council,” said April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “Delegates endorsed Emily because of her ties to the community and her record as a champion for workers in Olympia – and they know she will be a champion in Washington, DC too. Emily Randall is the labor candidate in the 6th Congressional District.”
Emily announced a large number of new union endorsements on Friday night heading into the COPE weekend, earning the backing of SEIU 775, SEIU Local 925, SEIU 1199NW, Teamsters Local 117, and UFCW 3000. These unions joined previous endorsements from IAM Machinists 751, the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE, AFSCME Council 28), UA Local 32 Plumbers and Pipefitters, and Sheet Metal Workers Local 66. Combined, these labor unions have membership of more than 200,000 workers and even before COPE made Emily the candidate with the largest number of union members backing her.
“Like many in the 6th Congressional District, I grew up in a hardworking Union household. My mom is a paraeducator at South Kitsap High School, my dad was a shipfitter at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and my wife is an apprentice carpenter. I’m so proud to receive the sole endorsement from the Washington State Labor Council’s Committee on Political Education,” said Deputy Majority Leader Emily Randall. “My Union family didn’t always have it easy. But I saw my parents and my neighbors work hard, and I learned those lessons. That’s why I’ve spent my career finding common-sense, practical solutions to the problems our communities face, fighting alongside working people and Union members to ensure we all have the tools we need to build our own futures. It has been the honor of my life to fight for working families. I look forward to working hand in hand with labor if I am elected to Congress.”
Emily’s labor backing continues the momentum of her campaign over the past few months, joining recent endorsements by the Pierce County Democrats, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, and Senator Patty Murray. She also was awarded the 2024 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.
Emily’s campaign released a poll last month that shows Emily in a commanding double-digit lead over opponent Hilary Franz after voters learn basic information about the three candidates in the race. Read the polling memo HERE for more information.
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Deputy Majority Leader Emily Randall’s campaign for Congress has received over 300 endorsements, including Senator Patty Murray and Representatives Marilyn Strickland, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Katie Porter, Becca Balint, Robert Garcia, Linda Sanchez, Mark Takano, and Ritchie Torres, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Washington State Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, Washington State Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, and 60 current and former Washington elected officials.
Randall has also received the endorsements of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), District 751, SEIU 775, SEIU Local 925, SEIU 1199NW, Teamsters Local 117, UFCW 3000, the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), UA Local 32 Plumbers and Pipefitters, Equality PAC, Human Rights Campaign PAC, The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, South Kitsap Professional Firefighters, Bremerton Firefighters, Sheet Metal Workers Local 66, OneAmerica Votes, PODER PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, Latino Victory Fund, and the Pierce County Democrats. She was also awarded the 2024 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.
The 6th Congressional District spans from Tacoma to the Olympic Peninsula, and has been represented by Congressman Derek Kilmer since 2013. On November 9, 2023, Kilmer announced his retirement. If elected, Emily Randall, a third generation Washingtonian and 25 year resident of the district, would be the first LGBTQ+ Latina ever elected to the United States Congress.
