AAUP’s First-Ever Political Slate Scores Historic Wins

Today, the AAUP is celebrating a historic milestone following the election of eleven candidates from the first-ever slate of AAUP national political endorsements.

In a decisive showing for the importance of higher education in national elections, AAUP-endorsed candidates secured victories in critical Senate and congressional races across the country. These elected officials will head to Washington with a mandate to defend higher education as a public good; protect academic freedom; advance accessible, affordable, and debt-free college education; and safeguard the collective bargaining rights of faculty and campus workers.

"These results prove that higher education is a critical voting bloc in this country," said AAUP President Todd Wolfson. "Students, faculty, staff, and campus communities are not going to stand on the sidelines while our sector is under assault. Voters are sending a clear message: Protecting students and faculty and the right to learn and teach is a national priority."

Over the last two years, the AAUP has focused on building a strong coalition of faculty, staff, and students to build collective power to fight back against systemic threats to higher education, confront authoritarianism, and take back higher education as a public good for all. Campus communities mobilized in unprecedented numbers to support candidates who pledged to push back against political interference in the classroom and combat the ongoing defunding of public universities.

The AAUP slate marked the first time in the organization's 110-year history that the faculty union officially endorsed political candidates. The AAUP looks forward to holding our newly elected allies in Congress accountable to their mandate of advancing legislation to codify academic freedom protections, enacting safeguards for lifesaving research, and building a debt-free higher education system accessible to all that ensures fair labor practices for all campus workers.

AAUP Endorsed Candidate Wins

US Senate:

• Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan): Dr. El-Sayed is a fierce champion of debt- and tuition-free higher education and will be an invaluable ally in Washington for academic freedom and higher education as a public good.
• Sherrod Brown (Ohio): Former US senator and chair of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Brown has been an aggressive advocate for reducing student debt and fighting for access to higher education.

US House of Representatives:

• Will Lawrence (MI-7): Protecting higher education, free speech, and academic freedom have been key issues in Lawrence's campaign, including expanding institutional research.
• Donavan McKinney (MI-13): A current member of the Michigan House of Representatives, McKinney is a strong advocate for debt-free college education.
• Adam Hamawy (NJ-12): A former combat physician, Hamawy will be a fierce defender of higher education, academic freedom, and collective bargaining.
• Rebecca Bennett (NJ-7): A former Navy pilot, Bennett will be a fierce advocate for families and children and fight against cuts to critical research at the National Institutes of Health while championing higher education funding.
• Analilia Mejia (NJ-11): A current member of Congress, Mejia is a former organizer and a fierce champion of working families and collective bargaining. She supports tuition-free higher education.
• Brad Lander (NY-10): Former New York City Council member and comptroller, Lander has a long track record of supporting collective bargaining and debt-free college education.
• Claire Valdez (NY-7): A current member of the New York State Assembly, Valdez began her career working at Columbia University and was heavily involved with organizing with United Auto Workers. She served on her unit's bargaining committee and was elected unit chair of her shop in 2022 to represent 500 of her coworkers.
• Cait Conley (NY-17): A former US Army officer, Conley will work to increase access to affordable childcare and protect collective bargaining rights. She is a first-generation college student who will vigorously defend academic freedom and fight to reduce student debt.
• Chris Rabb (PA-3): A current member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Rabb worked to successfully unionize 1,500 fellow adjunct faculty at Temple University.