New York -The primary win of Grace Meng in the 6th Congressional District was greeted by 32BJ SEIU with an offer of congratulations to her and credit to one of her opponents, Rory Lancman.

“32BJ congratulates Grace Meng for her victory in the primary in the 6th District,” 32BJ President Mike Fishman said. “We look forward to working with her in fighting for the interests of working and middle-class people in her district and all of New York State. Rory Lancman, the underdog in this race, ran a good campaign that enlivened the public debate and helped to present voters with a choice among three good candidates.”

32BJ members were out in force for Election Day, with 300 member volunteers fanning out throughout the day to help turn out the vote in the most competitive districts – the 6th, 7th, 8th and 13th. This was the culmination of weeks of activity during which 32BJ members worked to reach other members in these four districts about the election. Through phone banking, canvassing, and three separate mailers for each endorsed candidate, union members contacted 9,576 fellow members in Districts 6, 7, 8 and 13. In addition, our international union, SEIU, made contributions of $5,000, the maximum allowable, to each of the candidates’ campaigns.

With 70,000 members in New York State, 32BJ is known for its strength in mobilizing members and voters to support endorsed candidates. In recent years, the union has strengthened its political endorsement program by putting resources toward door-to-door campaigns as well as mailers, phone banking and other independent expenditures to reach voters.

The union’s endorsement process is guided by an extensive screening of candidates by members and by the union’s policy agenda, which emphasizes the creation of good jobs and support for prevailing wage standards and responsible economic development.