Kelly Hayes
The West Central Florida Labor Council is backing Sen. Janet Cruz in her re-election campaign for Florida Senate District 14.
The West Central Florida AFL-CIO is made up of 116,000 active and retired union members, with the mission of representing the interests of working people at the state and local levels.
“Floridians need representatives in Tallahassee like Senator Cruz who personally understand the important role labor unions play in protecting the rights of working families,” WCFLC President Shawn McDonnell of IBEW Local 915 said in a statement.
“Sen. Janet Cruz has been steadfast in her support when it comes to ensuring that unions can do their job and stand up for the workers that they protect. That is why the West Central Florida Labor Council is proud to endorse Senator Cruz in her campaign for Senate District 14.”
The Council endorsement follows support from the Florida Education Association (FEA), another workers union for education employees. Cruz has already garnered endorsements from Democratic members of the Tampa Bay House delegation, including Democratic Leader-designate Fentrice Driskell, who was unanimously elected by House Democrats to the leadership role in May.
“Working families are the backbone of our neighborhoods and communities, and labor unions are essential to ensuring that they receive fair pay and treatment,” Cruz said in a statement. “I am committed to continuing to fight for working families in Tallahassee and collaborating with the West Central Florida Labor Council to make certain workers and their families in District 14 and across the state of Florida have the protections they deserve.”
Cruz is headed straight into the General Election, where she faces Republican veteran Jay Collins.
The pair are in for a tough race, with Cruz boasting a hefty war chest. She’ll start July with over $587,900 cash on hand between her campaign account and affiliated political committee. Collins will start the new month with $126,778 between his two fundraising sources, but he has shown that he, too, can raise significant cash.
Collins pulled an endorsement from Gov. Ron DeSantis when he entered the race. Tampa businessman Shawn Harrison, who filed in April, left the race in response to Collins’ shift.
SD 14 is a blue-leaning seat, but a competitive one. About 51.25% of voters under the new SD 14 lines favored Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election while 47.33% voted for Republican Donald Trump.
