2026 Primary Election Endorsements

The Denver Area Labor Federation (DALF) represents over 80,000 working Coloradans, through over 114 affiliated unions. Our membership is diverse and includes everyone from teachers, firefighters, and home care workers to electricians and aerospace workers. We come together as the Denver Area Labor Federation because we believe in one simple idea: when working people stand together, we can create positive changes for everyone.

DALF votes to endorse candidates based on how they will impact not only our unions, but all working people in the Denver Area. We carefully consider how each candidate will help us fight for a more equal and secure economy where working people can build power, ensure economic justice for themselves and their families, and combat the influence of corporations and wealthy elites.

Voting is our chance as working people to support those who support us. Who you vote for is your personal decision, but we hope that you will take DALF’s endorsements into consideration as you fill out your ballot.

AS OF April 24th, 2026, THE DENVER AREA LABOR FEDERATION HAS ENDORSED THE FOLLOWING COUNTY CANDIDATES:

ADAMS COUNTY

Assessor: Thomas Swingle

Clerk & Recorder: Josh Zygielbaum

Commissioner District 3: Emma Pinter

Treasurer: Jason Anaya-Ledeboer

ARAPAHOE COUNTY

Assessor: PK Kaiser

Clerk & Recorder: Joan Lopez

Commissioner District 2: Jessica Campbell

Commissioner District 4: Leslie Summey

Sheriff: Tyler Brown

Treasurer: Michael Westerberg

DOUGLAS COUNTY

Assessor: Kara Garr

Commissioner District 1: Irene Bonham

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Assessor: Andy Kerr

Clerk & Recorder: Nicole Hensel

Commissioner District 3: Lisa Cutter

Coroner: Nick Lobello

Treasurer: Eric Proctor

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

Richard Trumka: The Labor Leader Who Told Hard Truths

03 Jan, 2022

here weren’t many strikes in recent decades in which working people scored big victories, but the 1989 Pittston strike was one. Two years earlier, the Pittston Coal Company, in Pennsylvania, dropped out of a trade group that had negotiated a union contract with the United Mine Workers, and the

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

U.S. Labor Movement's Next Frontier is the Tech Industry, AFL-CIO's Shuler Says

13 Dec, 2021

The U.S. tech sector is the next frontier for labor organizing, and its workers are starting to understand the collective power unions have, President of the AFL-CIO Liz Shuler said on Friday at the Reuters Next Conference. Shuler said the labor federation - which comprises 57 affiliated unions and

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

Meet the Woman on the Brink of Transforming Labor in America for the Young and Reshuffling Workforce

02 Dec, 2021

When Liz Shuler rides on an airplane, she often has an experience that will be familiar to most travelers: Her seat mate asks, "What do you do?" Five years ago, after saying she worked for a labor union, Shuler said, most people would put their noses back in their books. Today, she's met with

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

Liz Shuler: Seeing a Bigger Role for Women in the Labor Movement

15 Nov, 2021

NYT: How did you get your start in the labor movement? Liz Shuler: I came up through the IBEW [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers]. My father was a union member and worked for PGE [an Oregon utility]. Clerical workers were not in a union, and my mother and I were organizing them. PGE

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

‘Striketober’ Isn’t a Sign of Chaos—It’s a Healthy Development for the Country

26 Oct, 2021 Read More >

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

Survey Shows Broad Public Support For Worker Strikes

26 Oct, 2021

Workers at companies like Kellogg’s, Nabisco and John Deere have hit the picket lines in recent weeks hoping to get a better deal from their employers. A new survey suggests the public by and large supports them. The AFL-CIO labor federation commissioned the progressive pollster Data for Progress to

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

Strikes Are Sweeping the Labor Market as Workers Wield New Leverage

18 Oct, 2021

Marcial Reyes could have just quit his job. Frustrated with chronic understaffing at the Kaiser Permanente hospital where he works in Southern California, he knows he has options in a region desperate for nurses. Instead, he voted to go on strike. While Americans are leaving their jobs at staggering

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

Labor Flexes Its Muscle as Leverage Tips from Employers to Workers

18 Oct, 2021

And many of them are either hitting the picket lines or quitting their jobs as a result. The changing dynamics of the US labor market, which has put employees rather than employers in the driver's seat in a way not seen for decades, is allowing unions to flex their muscle. Already on strike are 10

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

20 years after mine disaster, Brookwood miners are still fighting for safety

23 Sep, 2021

Twenty years ago today, on a Sunday afternoon in Brookwood, Alabama, 32 coal miners descended 2,000 feet below the ground into the Jim Walter Resources Blue Creek No. 5 Mine for a routine maintenance check.

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

We Need A Modern Labor Movement That Brings Good Jobs

20 Sep, 2021

Flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport recently, I spotted the ramp workers on the tarmac, busily unloading bags and doing safety checks on the plane in 115 degree heat. Most passengers were anxious to deplane, ready to head to baggage claim, not giving a second thought to the work

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

AFL-CIO President Shuler on Jobs and the Economy

31 Aug, 2021

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler discussed the economy and jobs with the Christian Science Monitor. She also reflected on becoming the first woman to lead the union. The organization’s previous president, Richard Trumka, passed away in August 2021. Other topics discussed included workers' rights

2026 Primary Election Endorsements

Liz Shuler, New AFL-CIO President, Takes Helm Of Labor Federation At Pivotal Moment

26 Aug, 2021

The executive council of the AFL-CIO held a special meeting last week to name their next leader, following the death of the labor federation’s longtime president, Richard Trumka. For the first time in the organization’s history, they chose a woman. Liz Shuler, 51, had served as the federation’s