Photo Credits: Texas AFL-CIO
Hundreds of labor delegates from across the state gathered in Georgetown this past weekend for the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE) Convention, a pivotal moment as the labor movement formally kicked off its political work ahead of the March primary. The biennial gathering brought together representatives from affiliated unions statewide at a moment shaped by rising economic pressure on working families and a polarized political landscape.
The COPE Convention brings together affiliated unions to debate priorities, adopt resolutions, and, most critically, vote on endorsements for statewide, congressional, and legislative races. These endorsements represent the collective power of more than 250,000 union members and define labor’s posture for the cycle ahead and set expectations for candidates seeking working people’s support.
The weekend opened with caucus meetings that allowed delegates to coordinate internally before the convention formally came to order. From the outset, the tone was disciplined and deliberate. Reports from Texas AFL-CIO leadership outlined organizing goals, political strategy, and ongoing work across the state, while elected allies addressed delegates on the stakes of the coming election cycle and labor’s role in shaping it.
Throughout the convention, speakers returned to a consistent message: working people are under pressure, driven by rising costs and sustained political attacks on labor rights.
One thing is clear, however: unions remain one of the few institutions with the infrastructure to respond at scale. Rather than focusing solely on elections, leaders emphasized the importance of sustained member engagement, worksite organizing, and connecting economic credibility to political action.
That emphasis carried into a series of workshops designed to equip delegates with practical tools for the months ahead. Sessions focused on union readiness and rapid response strategies, best practices for member engagement, and how to translate economic concerns into effective organizing and canvassing efforts. Other workshops addressed coalition-building, First Amendment protections for union activity, and strategies to counter narratives driven by corporate and billionaire interests. Together, the sessions reflected a broader effort to align political work with on-the-ground organizing and member education.
By the convention close, delegates voted to adopt the Texas AFL-CIO’s 2026 primary endorsements. In several contested races, the body chose to take “no action,” a decision that preserves flexibility for local unions to assess candidates and make endorsements that reflect their members’ priorities. Together, those votes reflected a deliberate approach to political engagement: one based on member input and an expectation that endorsed candidates earn labor support.
You can find a full list of Texas AFL-CIO’s endorsements here. Texas AFT has begun rolling out our own endorsements, which you can find below:
Texas Statewide
- Governor: Gina Hinojosa
- Lt. Gov: Vikki Goodwin
- Land Commissioner: Jose Loya
- Agriculture Commissioner: Clayton Tucker
- Railroad Commissioner: Jon Rosenthal
Texas House of Representatives
- HD 27 Ron Reynolds
- HD 38 Erin Gamez
- HD 40 Terry Canales
- HD 45 Erin Zwiener
- HD 46 Sheryl Cole
- HD 47 Pooja Sethi
- HD 48 Donna Howard
- HD 49 Montserrat Garibay
- HD 50 Jeremy Hendricks
- HD 51 Lulu Flores
- HD 70 Mihaela Plesa
- HD 75 Mary Gonzalez
- HD 76 Suleman Lalani
- HD 77 Vince Perez
- HD 78 Joe Moody
- HD 79 Claudia Ordaz
- HD 90 Ramon Romero Jr.
- HD 92 Salman Bhojani
- HD 95 Nicole Collier
- HD 100 Venton Jones
- HD 101 Chris Turner
- HD 102 Ana-Maria Ramos
- HD 103 Rafael Anchia
- HD 104 Jessica Gonzalez
- HD 105 Terry Meza
- HD 107 Linda Garcia
- HD 108 Allison Mitchell
- HD 109 Aicha Davis
- HD 110 Toni Rose
- HD 111 Yvonne Davis
- HD 113 Rhetta Andrews Bowers
- HD 114 John Bryant
- HD 115 Cassandra Hernandez
- HD 116 Trey Martinez Fischer
- HD 118 Kristian Carranza
- HD 124 Josey Garcia
- HD 134 Ann Johnson
- HD 135 Odus E. Evbagharu
- HD 136 John Bucy III
- HD 137 Gene Wu
- HD 139 Charlene Ward Johnson
- HD 140 Armando Walle
- HD 141 Senfronia Thompson
- HD 143 Ana Hernandez
- HD 144 Mary Ann Perez
- HD 145 Christina Morales
- HD 146 Lauren Simmons
- HD 148 Penny Morales Shaw
- HD 149 Hubert Vo
U.S House of Representatives
- CD 30 Rev. Frederick Haynes
- CD 37 Greg Casar
As the labor movement heads into the 2026 cycle, the message from Georgetown was straightforward: political work does not begin and end with Election Day. It starts with preparation, continues through organizing, and is sustained by members who understand what’s at stake and how to fight back.