(UPDATED to include comment from KNEA)
As they seek the Democratic nomination for governor, state Sens. Cindy Holscher and Ethan Corson have pledged to support labor.
They said as much in a recent forum held by the Kansas Democratic Party, the only face-to-face showdown so far for the two leading Democratic candidates.
“My record with labor speaks for itself,” Corson said.
Holscher wasn’t ready to cede that ground.
“The litmus test for me is pretty simple,” Holscher said
“If it’s good for labor, then I’m for it. If not, no way.”
But over the months, Corson has been piling up support from unions, a key constituency for Democratic candidates in Kansas.
He’s won endorsements from at least six labor unions, including the rail and transportation workers, trade workers, electricians, pipefitters, construction workers and iron workers.
Kansas had 83,000 union members in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In addition, another 22,000 wage-and-salary workers in Kansas were represented by a union on their main job or were covered by an employee association or contract while not union members themselves, the government reported.
One major group that hasn’t made an endorsement is the Kansas National Education Association.
The KNEA’s political action committee does not plan at this time to make early recommendations in the Kansas gubernatorial race, the group said.
Once the PAC concludes a comprehensive review of candidates, recommendations for gubernatorial candidates will be submitted to the KNEA board of directors for a final vote.
The endorsements from labor could be important in a Democratic primary, said Washburn University political scientist Bob Beatty.
“I think in Kansas in a Democratic primary, it’s very helpful,” Beatty said.
“There tends to be a relatively low turnout because there’s not that many Democrats in the first place,” he said.
“They’re not used to voting in primaries so it does tend to be more of the stalwarts, and labor is still important for Democratic stalwarts,” Beatty said.
“In the modern era, any sort of organizational help can be very important,” he said.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly was similarly positioned in 2018 when she entered the governor’s race nine months before the primarily election and defeated four other candidates to win the nomination with 51% of the vote.
In a recent interview, Kelly said she had “no doubt” that the support of the unions contributed to her electoral success, including from her time in the state Senate.
“Labor is very important in Democratic primaries and in the general election,” said Kelly, who has endorsed Corson in the governor’s race.
“They’re very important in governing the state,” Kelly said.
“A lot of the success that we have had in bringing new businesses to Kansas has been a direct result of our labor unions,” she said.
“We have brought them to the table,” Kelly said.
“They have been able to convince these business leaders that not only do we have the skilled workforce to make sure these businesses can operate here, but our unions also come about those sorts of labor-management relationships very differently than what you might see in some other states, a much more cooperative, partnership approach.
“It’s impressed business and it’s one of the reasons we’ve been successful, and I think it’s one of the reasons the labor unions are supporting Ethan Corson,” he said.
Jake Miller, executive director for the Working Kansas Alliance, said there’s a very practical implication for wooing support from labor.
“Candidates from both parties do their utmost to garner support from labor because our members turnout and vote in primaries and general elections,” Miller said in a text message.
“Besides financial support we also volunteer, putting boots on the ground, knocking doors, handing out lit, talking peer to peer in the workplace or at the worksite,” he said.
“Union sisters and brothers trust one another so a member vouching for a candidate goes a long way,” he said.
“We support candidates who make it clear they support us and our issues,” he said. “Issues like prevailing wage, collective bargaining rights, pensions, and workplace safety just to name a few.”
Labor unions don’t always side with Democrats.
Eight years ago, the Kansas State Council of Firefighters supported Kris Kobach in his unsuccessful bid for governor against Kelly.
Four years later, it supported Kelly when she was reelected in 2022.
For her part, Holscher stood by her support of labor regardless of the endorsements Corson has received.
“I come from a working-class family – my dad was a proud union member – and those values shaped who I am and why I do this work,” Holscher said in a statement.
“Throughout my career, I’ve stood with working people, not political insiders or the establishment, and my record shows it,” she said.
“I’m running a people-powered, grassroots campaign focused on delivering real results for workers and families across Kansas, and that’s who I’ll always fight for.”
During the Democratic Party debate in November, Holscher laid out her support for organized labor this way:
“Protecting workers’ rights means protecting collective bargaining, protecting prevailing wages and making sure workers can organize without fear of retaliation,” she said.
“It means investing in apprenticeship programs, rebuilding the skilled workforce that keeps our economy moving and ensuring that our own state government is using American-made steel in infrastructure projects,” she said.
“I will be a governor who stands with working people every single day, not just when cameras are rolling, not just during campaign season but when the pressure is on and tough decisions are being made.”
Meanwhile, Corson said during that debate that his record demonstrated why he was the only candidate with a labor endorsement.
As a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, Corson said he opposed putting autonomous vehicles on Kansas roads without an operator to ensure safety.
He also supported a law that would have given local utility companies the first shot at building transmission lines that connect to their facilities.
He said the law would have ensured that “this highly skilled, highly technical work was done by Kansas workers, not by out-of-state, fly-by-night, low-bid contractors.”
He also supported efforts to require two-person train crews sought by the union. He also supported legislation to bring data centers to Kansas as well as the jobs that come with them.
As governor, Corson said he would sign a bill repealing the ban on local governments from paying union-scale wages on construction projects.
“Cities and counties should be able to lift standards, not be locked into a race to the bottom,” he said.
“The idea we should be using taxpayer dollars to drive down wages in communities and get lower-quality work, I just don’t know any other word for that than that policy is stupid.”
