Union-endorsed candidates simply dominated the Kansas City, MO municipal elections on June 20th, with the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, the Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Council, and Teamsters Local 41 winning eleven of the thirteen races each.

Mayor Quinton Lucas easily won his election against Clay Chastain, the only person who bothered to run against him and who seemingly doesn’t even actually live here. Lucas won 33,266 to 7,982 or 81% to 19% without even breaking a sweat.

Mayor Lucas continues to be an extremely strong ally of labor unions in Kansas City and made sure to emphasize that on the campaign trail. Mayor Lucas even had IUPAT DC 3’s Political Director Shawn Delgado emcee at his election night party.

The new City Council is slated to be younger, more progressive, and even more union-friendly thanks to the results of the election, and that is with the previous council already being very union-friendly.

The only question mark on council is Nathan Willett who will now represent the most conservative district in the city, the 1st District. Willett beat Chris Gahagan 3,180 to 1,794 or 64% to 36%. Willett did not attend The Labor Beacon’s City Council Forum and was the only candidate who was not endorsed by any labor unions.

Councilman Kevin O’Neill, who has been a champion of working people for almost three-decades, easily won re-election in the 1st At-Large, beating his opponent 30,470 to 11,487 or 73% to 27%. O’Neill seems likely to be one of the more influential members on this new council and is universally beloved by unions.

In the 2nd District, Wes Rogers, who has spent the last several years as a state representative, ran unopposed and with a full-range of union endorsements. Rogers should bring significant legislative experience to council and relationships with Jefferson City.

In the 2nd District At-Large, Lindsay French edged out her opponent Jenay Manley with 20,937 votes to 19,606 votes or 52% to 48%. French was endorsed by both the Building Trades and the KC AFL-CIO.

Councilwoman Melissa Robinson easily won re-election in the 3rd District, beating Sheri Hall 3,912 to 721 or 84% to 16%. Robinson is a friendly incumbent for all the unions in town.

Melissa Patterson Hazley became the only candidate of the night to beat an incumbent in her race for the 3rd District At-Large. She beat Brandon Ellington, who had not been re-endorsed by most unions, 61% to 39%, or 24,105 votes to 15,716. Patterson Hazley comes from a Teamster family.

In the 4th District, Councilman Eric Bunch made easy work of opponent Henry Rizzo, winning 4,252 to 2,087 or 67% to 33%. Bunch, who has been a strong ally of Councilman O’Neill and a consistent union vote, will likely play a larger role on this more progressive council.

Crispin Rea, a member of IAFF Local 42, walked away with a big win in the always-competitive 4th At-Large race. Rea beat Justin Short 22,689 to 17,261 or 57% to 43%. Rea was heavily union- endorsed.

In the 5th District, Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, who has SEIU ties and was fully union-endorsed, did not face an opponent. She will be one of the more experienced leaders on this new council.

Darrell Curls won 56% to 44% in the 5th District At-Large race, beating Michael Kelley 22,593 to 17,808. Curls is a former UAW steward and received significant union support.

The 6th In-District was the only district to have a true upset, where Johnathan Duncan defeated long-time politician Dan Tarwater III 57% to 43%. The race saw Duncan gain 6,884 votes to Tarwater’s 5,299. The 6th District has become significantly more progressive and Duncan, a veteran who focused heavily on housing issues, ran a massive field campaign. Duncan was endorsed by SEIU Local 1, Teamsters Local 41, and Jason Kander, but has already indicated he looks forward to the opportunity to work with all unions. Surprising no one, Councilwoman

Andrea Bough beat Jill Sasse 72% to 28% or 28,737 to 11,316. Bough has been a fierce union ally, advancing a deeply progressive agenda while still being nearly-universally liked. This new council will likely heavily focus on issues surrounding housing. It would not be surprising if union members ended up building municipally-owned affordable housing as a result of this election, with a large number of council members indicating support for it. Housing, specifically the cost of rent and ownership, continues to dominate the local and national political conversation.

Thank you to all who took the time
to vote!