Wisconsin Building Trades Council endorses Barnes in Senate run, other Democrats

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A prominent Wisconsin labor organization came out Wednesday in favor of Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in his bid for U.S. Senate and two others Democrats running in the 2022 fall election.

Besides Barnes, the Wisconsin Building Trades Council declared its support for Sara Rodriguez and Doug La Follete. Barnes is running against U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican, in November, while Rodriguez is running for lieutenant governor and La Follete for Secretary of State. All three candidates advanced in the primary election on Tuesday.

The union umbrella organization endorsed the candidates for understanding union members’ priorities and their commitment to a pro-worker agenda.

“The Wisconsin Building Trades Council endorses these candidates with confidence that they understand the priorities of union members, and will tackle the issues important to all workers to help strengthen the middle class,” board president Jac Weitzel said in a statement.

“These candidates have committed to pro-worker agenda, and we know they will work with us to create jobs through long-term infrastructure investments, expanding skilled training and apprenticeship, and supporting strong labor standards. We’re proud to recommend them to our more than 40,000 members,” Weitzel added.

The announcement came after the Building Trades Council formally endorsed Gov. Tony Evers’ re-election bid on Friday. Evers will face the Republican candidate Tim Michels in the November election. Michels won the primary against former lieutenant governor Rebecca Kleefisch and State Rep. Timothy Ramthun on Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Building Trades Council has more than 40,000 members, including bricklayers, electricians and sheet metal workers. The union is home to 17 craft member organizations involved in the building trades.