Texas AFL-CIO COPE Endorses Special Election Candidates

The Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE) announced endorsements for Nov. 5 special elections and a constitutional proposition vote, setting the stage for stepped-up labor participation in the 2020 election cycle.

“The Texas AFL-CIO COPE endorsements went to candidates who support a fair shot agenda and whose record and priorities prove that they will fight for working families in Texas,” Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy said. “Local labor leaders studied the records and platforms of these candidates carefully and then had the opportunity to talk directly to the candidates. These endorsements are a result of that process.”

“Texas has entered a new political era and working families are ready to seize the opportunity,” Levy said. “We believe working families understand the stakes in every election, but especially the historic one scheduled for Nov. 3, 2020.”

The 2019 special election endorsements (with recommending labor bodies in parentheses) include:

• In Texas House District 28, Eliz Markowitz. (Tideland Labor Assembly/Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation);

• In Texas House District 100, Lorraine Birabil (Dallas Central Labor Council); and

• In Texas House District 148, a dual endorsement of Rob Block and Kendra Yarbrough Camarena. (Harris County Labor Assembly).

In addition, the Texas AFL-CIO recommends a “NO” vote on Proposition 4, which would make the existing ban on a personal income tax part of the Texas Constitution.  

Levy said opposition to Proposition 4, voted upon by the entire Texas AFL-CIO Executive Board, is about preserving options in a changing economy. 

“No one believes an income tax is around the corner in Texas,” Levy said, “but existing law already requires a vote of the people to make it happen. Adding the requirement of a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate ties the hands of future Legislatures and cements a tax system riddled with major flaws.”