NY AFL-CIO Snubs Gillen and Mamdani-Backed Socialist in House Races

New York's powerful state labor federation has decided to sit out three of the state's most closely watched House races this fall, denying an endorsement to Nassau County Rep. Laura Gillen while also snubbing Mamdani-backed socialist Daraliza Avila Chevalier and former city Comptroller Brad Lander. Democratic sources called the move baffling, particularly in Gillen's case, since the New York AFL-CIO had endorsed her back in 2024.

According to the New York Post, the state AFL-CIO stayed neutral in all three races rather than issue formal endorsements. Gillen, who is seeking re-election in Nassau County's battleground 4th District and faces Republican Jeanine Driscoll this November, called it a blow even as she said she was honored by the union endorsements she has already received. Sources described the federation's decision as particularly stinging for a first-term incumbent defending a seat Democrats consider central to holding the House.

The neutrality stems from a structural quirk in how the federation operates, not necessarily a verdict on any candidate's labor record. Under New York State AFL-CIO bylaws, an endorsement requires a two-thirds supermajority vote among affiliate union delegates, according to Local 802 AFM; when no candidate clears that bar, the statewide body formally defaults to neutrality even though individual affiliate unions remain free to endorse on their own. Led by President Mario Cilento, the federation represents 3,000 affiliated unions and 2.5 million members across the state, per the New York Post's reporting.

Unions Keep Backing Gillen Even Without the Federation's Blessing

That structural loophole is exactly what's playing out in Gillen's race. Despite the statewide snub, individual unions have kept mobilizing for her campaign, including SEIU Local 32BJ, New York State United Teachers, the Amalgamated Transit Union, IBEW Local 3, Sheet Metal Workers Local 28, Theatrical Stage Employees Local 1, and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, all of which have endorsed Gillen independently of the state federation, per the Post.

Communications Workers of America District 1 added its own endorsement of Gillen in August, citing her commitments on healthcare benefits, public services, and labor protections, according to CWA District 1. The same union also endorsed Democrat Cait Conley in the Hudson Valley's 17th District, where the state AFL-CIO did issue a formal endorsement backing Conley over Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.

The federation's neutrality could work in Republican Driscoll's favor, according to the state AFL-CIO's own framing of the race reported by the Post. Driscoll currently serves as Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes, an administrative post that collects and disburses property taxes but carries no statutory authority to set municipal rates — a detail Hoodline detailed in its earlier report on Gillen's tax-hike mailers targeting Driscoll. Gillen defeated Republican Anthony D'Esposito in their 2024 rematch, and NY-04 remains one of the state's tightest suburban battlegrounds.

Neutrality Cuts Both Ways in NYC's Progressive Primaries

The federation applied the same neutral stance to two of the summer's biggest primary upsets. Daraliza Avila Chevalier, a socialist candidate backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, ousted five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary covering northern Manhattan and the Bronx. Brad Lander, also backed by Mamdani and the progressive left, defeated two-term Rep. Dan Goldman in the House District 10 primary covering Lower Manhattan and Brownstone Brooklyn.

Unlike Gillen's competitive suburban race, both Avila Chevalier and Lander are running in overwhelmingly Democratic districts, meaning the state AFL-CIO's neutrality is expected to have little practical impact on their general election prospects. That contrast underscores a broader dynamic within New York labor politics this cycle: the same federation that stayed neutral on safe-seat progressives also withheld an endorsement from a suburban Democrat defending a genuine swing district.

The state AFL-CIO wasn't uniformly quiet on House races this cycle. It endorsed Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents parts of Nassau County and Queens in the neighboring 3rd District, and it backed Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino in Long Island's 2nd District, reflecting the federation's practice of supporting select moderate Republicans with favorable labor records. It also stayed neutral in Staten Island's 11th District race involving Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who is running for re-election there, while endorsing other upstate Democratic incumbents elsewhere on the ballot. The New York AFL-CIO declined further comment beyond its endorsement announcements, according to the Post's reporting.

Long Island Democrats have separately been navigating how closely to align with Albany and New York City progressives this cycle. As Hoodline reported earlier this month, Gillen and Suozzi both omitted Governor Kathy Hochul's endorsement from their campaign websites, a suburban strategy aimed at swing voters wary of ties to state party leadership. The AFL-CIO's neutrality in Gillen's race adds another layer to that balancing act, even as her union support on the ground remains substantial.