FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2026
October 19, 2026
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-374-6491
[email protected]
Largest Federal Employee Union Endorses 7 Texas Candidates Running for Election
Categories:
Congress, Election 2026, House
AFGE says endorsed candidates will support federal employees and all working families
KILLEEN, Texas — The American Federation of Government Employees today announced its endorsement of seven candidates running to represent Texas in the 2026 elections taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The newly endorsed candidates are Gina Hinojosa for governor and six incumbents for reelection to the U.S. House: Lizzie Fletcher (CD-7), Veronica Escobar (CD-16), Christian Menefee (CD-18), Joaquin Castro (CD-20), Sylvia Garcia (CD-29), and Greg Casar (CD-37).
The endorsed candidates have been supportive of AFGE’s legislative priorities and often are the cosponsors of key workforce bills.
“Over 250,000 federal employees call Texas home. They care for our veterans, support our military, secure our border, and make sure Social Security checks arrive on time,” AFGE District 10 National Vice President Cheryl Eliano said.
“Over the past year they have faced mass firings, a government shutdown, and attacks on their right to a union. They need leaders who fight back,” Eliano said. “Gina Hinojosa has spent her career standing up for working families, from her work as a civil rights and labor attorney in the Rio Grande Valley to her leadership in the Texas House. Representatives Fletcher, Escobar, Menefee, Castro, Garcia, and Casar have stood with federal workers in Washington when it mattered most.”
AFGE previously endorsed Texas State Rep. James Talarico for election to the U.S. Senate in November along with four other candidates from the state running for the U.S. House.
About 250,000 federal employees live in Texas – caring for veterans, supporting the military, and getting Social Security recipients their benefits accurately and on time.
AFGE is the largest federal employee union in the country, representing more than 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers in all functions of government. AFGE represents more than 136,000 federal employees in District 10, which includes Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Panama, and Texas.
Written by OPEIU 2 AFL-CIO
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