Pennsylvania Republican House candidate emphasizes union ties in must-win race

Pennsylvania Republican House candidate Rob Bresnahan talks about being a third-generation union contractor in a campaign television ad. His pamphlets claim he created good-paying union jobs.

Those union ties are a key part of Mr. Bresnahan’s pitch to voters as he campaigns to unseat incumbent Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright.

It’s no surprise that candidates in northeastern Pennsylvania tout union ties. But it’s pretty amazing that a Republican would do that.

“Just because you have an ‘R’ next to your name doesn’t mean you can’t participate in collective bargaining,” Mr. Bresnahan said recently after looking through some resumes at a local bar. , assists in the training of electrical apprentices and workers, and assists health welfare and pension trustees in ensuring their members receive health insurance and retirement benefits.

“I’ve always been able to put my hat on and say what’s best for this organization at this time,” said Bresnahan, who is not a union member himself but has a history of working closely with union members. He said there is.

Mr. Bresnahan’s pitch to union members is echoed by former President Donald Trump and Republicans. Vice Presidential Candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) is trying to gain support from individual union members while union leaders support Democrats.

Union support is critical in Pennsylvania, where union membership makes up 14.1% of the state, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That makes them a must-win group. Sure victory The state has control of the White House as well as the Senate and House of Representatives, according to election forecasters Cook Political Report.

Over the past decade, union households have increasingly supported Republicans in both presidential and congressional elections, according to NBC News polling data. The majority of union households still support Democrats, but a few thousand votes can make the difference in a close race like Bresnahan’s, which is rated as close by the Cook Political Report.

Cartwright has held his seat in the House of Representatives for more than a decade, even as the chamber has become more conservative.

2020, Cartwright won re-election He received 52% of the vote in his constituency. But Trump won the presidential election with 51% of the vote, according to NBC data. 2 years ago, Cartwright It received just 51% of the vote.

Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District is 72% white, with a median household income of $61,140 in 2023. U.S. Census Bureau.

At the Sheet Metal Workers Local 44 union hall in Wilkes-Barre in early October, local union leaders frequently referred to Cartwright as a “friend.” They praised Cartwright for supporting pro-union policies and helping bring millions of dollars in federal funding to the district thanks to his role on the powerful Appropriations Committee.

“He supported us,” said Keshia Williams, a certified nursing assistant and SEIU member. “He stood on the picket line with us for nursing home workers, hospital workers. He gave so much to our community, to our local community.”

Cartwright said his loyalty to the union runs deeper than elections.

“In Northeastern Pennsylvania, it goes beyond that. It extends to our heritage. It extends to our lineage,” Cartwright said. “Everyone here has ancestors who not only worked in the mines, but also benefited from the efforts of organized labor.”

Cartwright has the support of numerous trade unions in the area, including local chapters of the trade union. teamster, Seiu and AFL-CIO.

Rather than mass support, Mr. Bresnahan relies on appealing to individual union members, including those he has worked with as a member. National Electrical Contractors AssociationA group with long partnership Join forces with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

Bresnahan said while he doesn’t fully support major pro-work legislation like the PRO Act, his positions on other issues like immigration resonate with union members.

“Border security is very important to a lot of people, especially union members who work every day,” Bresnahan said in an interview with CNBC. “They’re doing their best, they’re the best at what they do, but they feel like they’re second fiddle to probably 10, 12, 15 million illegal immigrants. I’m doing it.”

Bresnahan is running for office for the first time this year after a career working for his family’s business, Kuharchik Construction. Became CFO at age 19. He then became CEO.

Mr. Bresnahan has been criticized by his opponents. sell his company to a Canadian private equity firm. Mr. Bresnahan pushed back, arguing that he was still the company’s owner and that the move ultimately created more jobs.

But local union member Travis Buchanan said the nuances didn’t make any difference, and that he had voted for Cartwright in the past and thought Cartwright was good for the union. spoke. But he sees Mr. Bresnahan as helpful to labor unions and on other issues, such as immigration and inflation.

“We are working to take into account all of our wants and needs, not just the labor side,” he said. “If you can get a candidate who has both, that’s great. I see that in Rob.”

There is also a growing sense among some union members that Democrats are not doing as much as they could for them. Teamsters Chairman Sean O’Brien said on a podcast that Democrats “have been fooling us for the last 40 years.”

team stars refused to support Mr. O’Brien and Mr. O’Brien, this year’s presidential candidates, spoke at the Republican National Convention.

firefighters union also voted He was one of the first to support Biden in 2020, but declined to agree with either candidate.

But Cartwright said the Democratic Party’s pro-union policies emphasize that at the end of the day, it’s his party that’s best for workers.

“Most union members understand that it’s the Democratic Party that stands up for this little guy or girl,” he says. “And it’s the Republicans who are constantly trying to water down union rights.”