State AFL-CIO backs Walker in the First District

By BERRY CRAIG

AFT Local 1360

The nonpartisan Cook Political Reportsays Rep. James Comer, R-Tompkinsville, looks like a lock to keep his First District House seat.

His challenger, Democrat Paul Walker of Murray, naturally disagrees.

Anyway, the Murray State University English professor is glad to have organized labor in his corner.

“I'm honored and grateful to be endorsed by the AFL-CIO, and am committed to upholding labor's standards and vision for unions, workers, retirees, education, and healthcare,” he said in a statement.

The Kentucky State AFL-CIO Executive Committee, acting as the federation’s COPE Committee, unanimously endorsed Walker at its June quarterly meeting in Frankfort.

Walker’s lopsided win in the May 22 primary surprised several veteran union leaders statewide. His opponent, singer-songwriter-hunting guide Alonzo Pennington of Princeton, seemed to have the edge in name recognition. Too, Pennington was backed by TV journalist and Democratic activist Krystal Ball's People's House Project.

Pennington and Walker ran on similar progressive platforms; both actively courted union support. Both supported labor issues, rejecting "right to work" and favoring the prevailing wage. 

As a result, the state AFL-CIO COPE Committee voted "no recommendation" in their primary race, which allowed individual unions and union members to back either candidate.

Comer, who is seeking his second term, favored RTW and opposed PW when he ran for governor in 2015. In May, he became a co-sponsor of H.R. 785, the National Right to Work Act. 

"With my opponent signing on as a co-sponsor for a National Right to Work law, now is an important time to elect candidates like me who will reject and fight against such legislation that does long-term damage to communities, workers, and their families, and actively undermines the quality of life in America," Walker's statement also said.

The First District sprawls 300 miles eastward from the Mississippi River through parts of rural western and south-central Kentucky.  

Click here to go to the Walker campaign website.