Democrat Travis Childers wins ‘red’ MS district with support from CWA
Democrat Travis Childers won Mississippi’s May 3rd special election to represent the traditionally Republican first congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, with the help from the Communications Workers of America. CWA locals, along with the United Steel Workers, helped Childers win this stunning victory by distributing mailings, placing robocalls, phone banking, and talking about his message during everything from baseball games to Sunday dinner.
CWA District 3 Legislative-Political Coordinator Beverly Hicks said every CWA local union and unions throughout the state got involved and worked together. "It's so important to put people in office who will be accountable and who will support working families and the issues that are so important to us. That's exactly what happened in this election," she said.
Despite what Garry Jordan, president of CWA Local 3517, describes as Republican attempts to distract voters with terrible advertising, the efforts of CWA to keep the focus on the economy, health care, and other concerns for working families proved to be effective.
"We'll do it all over again in November" when Childers must run again, Jordan said, adding that union members were seeing a real change in Mississippi and the opportunity to elect a U.S. Senator and other representatives who would "get people health care, get them workers' rights and the Employee Free Choice Act and stay focused on their issues."
This is just one example of what organized efforts on behalf of working families can achieve. Keeping the focus on what really matters to middle class Americans and not letting up can put good people like Travis Childers in office where he belongs.
