2020 endorsements start to trickle in

Timing endorsements for candidates is tricky. Too late, and you risk lagging behind in helping your preferred candidate pick up some momentum. Too early, though, and you risk backing the wrong person.

Which is why it was surprising that, with more than a year until the 2020 election, Congressional Candidate and Democrat Carolyn Long already picked up a major endorsement.

Earlier this week, the Washington State Labor Council endorsed the second-time candidate campaigning to represent Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Larry Brown, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, said in a media release that the very early endorsement reflects that “working families are very excited that Carolyn Long has decided to run again in this critical election.”

“Having been a union member myself, I know what an honor it is to have the state labor council’s endorsement,” Long said in the media release.

It’s early. The incumbent, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, hasn’t even formally kicked off a reelection campaign, though she said she’ll be running for a sixth term. Peter Khalil, another Democratic candidate who’s been campaigning since May, hasn’t announced any endorsements yet.

I reached out to Khalil and asked if he’d heard from any notable organizations — he said his campaign has been approached by a few, but nobody willing to commit yet.

“Most endorsers are rightly focused on the upcoming primaries. In any case, endorsements don’t win elections, voters do,” Khalil wrote in a message. “Endorsements are an interesting process — some endorsers are hesitant and some make up their minds before the election even starts.”

“There’s no accounting for all their different methods, but we’re excited to get people and orgs on our side,” he concluded.

—

UPDATE: Long garnered another endorsement on Aug. 5 The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48 (IBEW Local 48), based in Vancouver, also endorsed her campaign. They consist of around 4,000 electrical construction, broadcasting, telecommunications, electrical manufacturing and maintenance workers.

“Carolyn showed us in 2018 that the people of Southwest Washington are ready for a representative who recognizes the necessity of growing the middle class and will make protecting our working families a priority,” said Mike Bridges, Business Representative for IBEW Local 48, in a media release.

“And we know she understands that an important piece of this work is promoting environmentally-responsible economic development in Southwest Washington, especially projects that partner with the local union workforce that is training the next generation of skilled workers through registered apprenticeships. This is just one of the key reasons we are eager to give her an early endorsement.”