AFT’s Weingarten Reacts to Results of the 2024 Election

AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement on the outcome of the 2024 election:

“The voters have spoken. While we hoped and fought for a different outcome, we respect both their will and the peaceful transfer of power.

“At this moment, the country is more divided than ever, and our democracy is in jeopardy. Last night, we saw fear and anger win.

“Over the next few weeks, there will be a lot of ‘could have, should have, would have.’ But the bottom line for most people who voted—and we saw many of them as we crisscrossed the country—was ‘who will help us improve our lives, the lives of our families and our communities?’

“We believed it was Kamala Harris; more people believed it was Donald Trump.

“At the same time, our opportunity engines—labor unions and public schools—remain popular and enduring. It means we must fight for the means and agency to secure a better life, and that public education and a growing labor movement are more important than ever. For example, while Trump won Kentucky, the ballot initiative there to destroy public schools lost.

“Many people today are devastated; many are excited. Many wonder whether the arc of the universe does bend to justice; many wonder whether our democratic institutions will hold.

“These are questions that are not knowable today, but I pray we are curious and introspective enough to understand what happened and ask how we unify the country. What binds us as Americans is far more important than what divides us.

“I do know one thing: Educators, healthcare professionals and public employees will be doing everything they can to make a difference in the lives of the people they serve. And our guiding principle will be to continue to do the work to improve people’s lives: to fight for our children’s future and the promise of America.”

The AFT Votes Bus Tour is on the road!

Union members are “all in” this election season supporting candidates who support the values and actions needed to realize the promise of America. The AFT, which has 600,000 members and their families in battleground states, is hosting a relentless schedule of community forums, town halls, roundtables, and canvassing and door-knocking events over the next two months.

See photos and video from the tour and learn more

Ellen Fischer, AFT retiree, is shown on the right with Sami Bailey, a Washington State Nurses Association staff member.

Knocking on doors and inspiring the next generation

During two weeks of door-knocking and rallies in Arizona as part of the AFT's GOTV campaign ahead of the 2024 election, Ellen Fischer, a member of the Retired Public Employees of Alaska, found inspiration in advocating for voting rights and equality for future generations. Fischer believes that this year's election is about ensuring that her granddaughter and all future generations inherit a world based on kindness and fairness.

Read more on aftvoices.org

Higher Ed Votes! Photos of speakers: Pramila Jayapal, Shawn Fain, Randi Weingarten, Claude Cummings, Mia McIver, Margaret Cook, Kristen Engel

Higher ed votes: A final push to the polls

A wide range of higher education advocates gathered Oct. 28 to make a final push to get out the vote. While they hailed from different unions and held various elected positions, with different degrees of progressive politics, they all agreed: Winning the presidential election is crucial for democracy, and for our college and universities. The difference between the two major party presidential candidates is stark: One represents a litany of threats to higher education and democracy itself, and the other offers opportunities that could lift everyone up.

Read more on aft.org

MANA, A National Latina Organization and a partner with the AFT, celebrates getting out the vote on the National Mall Oct. 5.

AFT votes bus strengthens community partnerships across the country

As the days left before Election Day dwindle, the AFT Votes bus continues its work: It’s already held more than 110 events in 40 cities and 16 states, and traveled thousands of miles to get out the vote—and we’re not the only ones. We’ve crossed paths with GOTV buses from Higher Heights, Black Voters Matter, Unidos and more. These are our partners in the effort to get Kamala Harris and Tim Walz elected—indeed, to save the nation’s democracy and ensure that we can advance the kinds of policies that will help, not hurt, working families, public education, healthcare and public employees. Read this story about how our partners make us stronger—together.

Read more on aft.org

Photo of 5 young people holding a sign that reads "Vote"

We’re teaching our students to vote

Civics teacher Sara Waechter always talks to her students about voting—not who to vote for, but how important it is to get out there and exercise their right, to participate in democracy. This year, she rallied students to register nearly 100 percent of the eligible voters in their school, and the kids enthusiastically embraced the task, sending messages on group chats and convening in the hallways to support each other as they took their first steps into an active civic life.

Read more on aftvoices.org

Illustration of 9 people standing arm in arm looking toward the sun. Photo illustration: Anna Semenchenko / iStock / Getty Images Plus, shunpang / iStock / Getty Images Plus, and imagedepotpro / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Hopes for Harris-Walz and a brighter future

In the final days before the presidential election, high school social studies teachers Andrew Budris and Wendy Palladino took some time out from teaching (and building a homecoming float) to discuss the candidates and their hopes for a future President Kamala Harris and Vice President Tim Walz. Alongside issues of general interest like the economy and reproductive rights, the two members of New York State United Teachers dove into hot topics in public education, such as their ability to teach real history without interference from the government. Don't miss this wide-ranging and eye-opening interview. Photo illustration: Anna Semenchenko / iStock / Getty Images Plus, shunpang / iStock / Getty Images Plus, and imagedepotpro / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Read more on aftvoices.org

Photo of a smiling women with a sticker on the point of index finger that reads "I voted today." Photo credit: LPETTET, Getty

Latino vote is a powerhouse in this election

Latinos are the second-largest voting bloc in the nation, with more than 36 million eligible to vote. At a recent webinar, Latina voting advocates explored the power of this electorate and their priorities, and described how best to reach them as the election season draws to a close. “One thing is extremely clear,” said AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus. “Our communities will make the difference in this election.” Photo credit: LPETTET, Getty

Read more on aft.org

Photo of AFT President Randi Weingarten and Heather Cox Richardson

AFT Book Club: Heather Cox Richardson on the future of democracy

More than 200 AFT members participated in the AFT Book Club conversation Oct. 20, in which noted historian Heather Cox Richardson outlined centuries of our nation’s struggles with democracy. Our most pressing concern, she said, is the looming presidential election and what it means for democracy—namely, that we could lose it altogether.

Read more on aft.org

Oct. 2 panel “Austerity, Privatization, and the Anti-Education Movement: A Forum with the AFT.” From left to right, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram, Kraus, and AFT-Wisconsin-endorsed State Assembly candidate Alison Page.

To battle scapegoating of higher education, professor authors explosive book — and gets out the vote

Neil Kraus believes in the power of the labor movement to win economic justice and champion education as public good. And in Wisconsin — a tightly contested swing state — Kraus is all in to get out the vote for the Harris-Walz ticket and a slate of progressive state candidates (including Sen. Tammy Baldwin, currently in a toss-up race).

Read more on aftvoices.org

Photo of Harris and Walz on stage. Photo by Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Why I believe in a Harris-Walz ticket

While attending the Democratic National Convention this past summer, Jessica Tang, president of AFT Massachusetts, sat down with journalist Sharon Brody of WBUR Boston to talk about why the Harris-Walz ticket gives her hope, as well as the stark contrast between the Republican and Democratic candidates. “We are talking about rolling back decades of advocacy for our schools and privatizing public education, essentially,” Tang said in discussing the effect a Trump-Vance White House could have on education. Read about her thoughts and listen to the full interview on AFT Voices.

Read more on aftvoices.org

AFT’s Weingarten: Tim Walz Wins Debate, Vance Disqualifies Himself

AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after tonight’s vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former AFT member, high school social studies teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minn.: "Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz won tonight’s debate against Vance by doing what good teachers do: On every question he was asked, he offered practical solutions for a better future."

Read more on aft.org

2024 Endorsements

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec tempor ipsum diam. Duis sit amet ipsum interdum ligula sodales porta. Maecenas eu viverra purus.

Sign up to be an activist!

We need your help to win the elections and ballot measures we support.
Working together, we can reclaim our future and help our students,
their families and our communities.

Pledge to Volunteer

UTLA member Letecia Miller invited AFT President Randi Weingarten to come out on Feb. 9, 2024, for a tour of the Garden High School CTE facilities where students are engaged in experiential learning.

Pre-K-12 Teachers

Historic investments in public education. A fivefold increase for community schools. The resources our students need to heal and thrive post-pandemic. Advocating for better pay and more respect for educators and school staff. Addressing the teacher shortage. Expanding school meals and preventing gun violence. Making school buildings safer and healthier.