Union Leader Montserrat Garibay Advances to General Election for Texas House District 49
AUSTIN, Texas – Today, the Texas AFL-CIO released the following statement on union leader Montserrat Garibay advancing to the general election in the race for Texas House District 49.
“Montserrat represents the best of us, and she’ll be a champion for all workers in the Texas House,” said Texas AFL-CIO President Leonard Aguilar. “Our rank-and-file union members running for office are charting a new path for Texas — one where our elected officials are ready to fight alongside workers because they’re workers themselves. Montserrat is ready to fight to raise wages, lower health care costs, and fully fund our public schools, and we can’t wait to see her in the Texas Capitol.”
Garibay is a bilingual educator, labor leader, and Austinite who has spent more than 25 years fighting for fairness, opportunity, and dignity for working families. Her journey — from an undocumented child to pre-K teacher, union leader, and senior official in the Biden–Harris Administration — reflects her belief that every Texan deserves a fair shot. She is a proud member of Education Austin and the former Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO.
There’s a shift happening in Texas politics. Workers aren’t waiting for change, they’re running for it:
First: In June 2025, Texas union delegates passed a resolution calling for the Texas AFL-CIO to recruit, equip, and empower Texas union members to run for office.
Then: In Oct. 2025, the organization held its first ever Texas Labor Candidate School and graduated its first class of 16 members, including Garibay.
Next: In Jan. 2026, State Senator Taylor Rehmet, a veteran and the president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Texas State Council, kicked off this wave of union candidate wins, becoming the first rank-and-file member to ever serve in the Texas Senate. Rehmet is a graduate of the Texas AFL-CIO’s Ruth Ellinger Leadership Academy.
Now: This November, 12 union-first labor endorsed candidates will be on the ballot — more than ever before.
The 12 union-first labor endorsed candidates heading to the General Election currently include:
Texas Supreme Court, Place 1: Maggie Ellis, Member of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 1624 and Texas State Employees Union (TSEU), Communications Workers of America (CWA) 6186
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9: Holly Taylor, Member of AFSCME Texas Retiree Chapter 12
U.S. House, District 19 (Lubbock): Kyle Rable, Member of TSEU (CWA 6186)
U.S. House, District 27 (Victoria/Austin): Tanya Lloyd, Member of Texas AFT
U.S. House, District 33 (Dallas): Colin Allred, Member of National Football League Players Association
Texas Senate, District 9 (Fort Worth): Taylor Rehmet (incumbent), President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Texas State Council
Texas House, District 28 (Richmond): Sandy Ibáñez, Member of Fort Bend AFT (AFT 6198)
Texas House, District 47 (Austin): Pooja Sethi, Member of TSEU (CWA 6186)
Texas House, District 49 (Austin): Montserrat Garibay, Former Texas AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer; Member of Education Austin (AFT 2048)
Texas House, District 70 (Dallas): Mihaela Plesa (incumbent), Member of TSEU (CWA 6186)
Texas House, District 125 (San Antonio): Adrian Reyna, Member of San Antonio Alliance (AFT 67)
Texas House, District 146 (Houston): Lauren Ashley Simmons (incumbent), Member of TSEU (CWA 6186) & CWA 1180
Other statewide Texas AFL-CIO endorsements for the General Election include Gina Hinojosa for Governor, Nathan Johnson for Attorney General, and Sarah Eckhardt for Comptroller of Public Accounts, all members of TSEU (CWA 6186). Additional endorsements will be made in the coming weeks. See our 2026 General Election endorsements here.
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The Texas AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is the state labor federation consisting of more than 250,000 affiliated union members and advocates for working people in Texas. Learn more at texasaflcio.org