Release: Amalgamated Transit Union Endorses Sarah McBride for Congress
“The ATU is Ridin’ with Sarah McBride”
McBride Secures Third Major Endorsement from Local Union Leaders
Wilmington, DE— Congressional candidate for Delaware’s at-large district and State Senator Sarah McBride has been endorsed by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 842. The largest labor union representing transit and allied workers, ATU is comprised of more than 200,000 members. McBride has also been endorsed by the Association of Flight Attendants and previously announced the support of UFCW Local 27, the largest private sector union in Delaware.
In a statement announcing the endorsement, Kendall Barbour, ATU Local 842-Wilmington, DE, President/Business Agent said, “We believe that Sarah McBride is the right choice to represent Delaware in Congress. Her advocacy for working families, public transportation, and workers' rights aligns perfectly with our mission, and we are confident that she will be a powerful advocate in Congress for our members and the communities we serve.”
The ATU is Ridin’ with Sarah McBride. Throughout her career in public service, Sarah McBride has been a trailblazer. She has demonstrated a proven commitment and dedication to working people to address critical issues including safe and reliable public transportation, affordable housing, job creation, and other kitchen table issues,” said ATU International President John Costa. “We are proud to endorse Sarah McBride and our members across Delaware will be mobilizing to get her elected to Congress."
Upon learning of the endorsement, McBride said, "I am deeply honored to accept the endorsement of ATU. Our public transportation workers are the backbone of our communities, connecting us to our jobs, families, and neighbors. As we strive for a brighter future, I stand with the hardworking members of the ATU in their pursuit of fair wages, safe working conditions, and accessible, reliable public transit for all. Together, we will ensure that every citizen can move forward on the path to success, and that our communities are united in their pursuit of progress."
Last month, McBride announced that she raised over $360,000 during Q3, more than double the announced third-quarter fundraising total of her nearest opponent.
McBride has been endorsed by a growing number of Delaware elected officials including Attorney General Kathy Jennings, State Auditor Lydia York, former Lt. Governor and Attorney General Matt Denn and more than twenty Delaware elected officials, community organizers, labor leaders and community and national advocacy organizations.
Members of the state legislature endorsing Senator McBride include: Senate President Pro Tempore David P. Sokola, Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman; Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha; Rep. Kendra Johnson; Rep. Debra Heffernan; Rep. Krista Griffith; Rep. DeShanna Neal; Rep. Sophie Phillips; Rep. Kim Williams; Rep. Paul Baumbach; Rep. Ed Osienski; Rep. Cyndie Romer; Senator Laura Sturgeon; Senator Russ Huxtable; Senator Kyra Hoffner; Senator Spiros Mantzavinos; Senator Jack Walsh; Senator Kyle Evans Gay; Senator Stephanie Hansen; and Senator Nicole Poore.
Upon her announcement, Nelson Hill with UFCW Local 27, Delaware’s largest private-sector union, said, “Working people across Delaware need a member of Congress who has a record of taking on big challenges and delivering for them -- and Sarah is exactly that leader. We are excited to join working families across the state to make Sarah McBride Delaware's next member of Congress.”
Other organizations that announced their support of Senator McBride include:
End Citizens United / Let America Vote
Equality PAC
Human Rights Campaign
LPAC
Victory Fund
Next50
EMILYs List
Delaware Stonewall PAC
Association of Flight Attendants
Reproductive Freedom for All
ABOUT SARAH MCBRIDE
Sarah McBride represents roughly 50,000 Delawareans in the First State Senate District, which includes parts of Wilmington and Brandywine Hundred. Sarah grew up in Wilmington and has been advocating for her community for decades. She worked for former Governor Jack Markell, the late Attorney General Beau Biden, and served in the Obama White House. Most recently, she served as the national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ equal rights organization.
When McBride was elected in November 2020, she became the first openly transgender state senator in American history. In just her first term, McBride passed the landmark Healthy Delaware Families Act, providing paid family and medical leave to workers throughout the First State and marking the largest expansion of Delaware's social safety net in decades. She also passed legislation expanding access to health care, requiring mental health and media literacy education in public schools, promoting green technologies, preventing lead poisoning in youth, and protecting workers and families.
McBride currently serves as chair of the Senate Health & Social Services Committee and is a member of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Education Committee, Banking, Business, Insurance, and Technology Committee, and Executive Committee.
Sarah married her late husband Andrew Cray in 2014 and is the proud aunt of seven. She is a graduate of Cab Calloway School of the Arts and American University. McBride has taught public policy at the University of Delaware and is the author of the 2018 memoir, “Tomorrow Will Be Different,” which includes a foreword from President Joe Biden.
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