Virginia gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy won the support of a major transit union that backed President Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) endorsed Carroll Foy in a statement exclusively obtained by The Hill on Wednesday, pledging to register the union’s members to vote and to take part “in the all-out effort to elect Jennifer Carroll Foy.”
“Jennifer Carroll Foy has been a true champion of working people throughout her career. She will fight to rebuild the middle class, bolster public transit, restore the rights of labor, and help Virginia recover from this devastating pandemic,” ATU International President John Costa said.
ATU made headlines last year in the 2020 presidential election when it endorsed Biden after throwing its support behind Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 2016.
The union is the largest for transit workers in the commonwealth, representing transit employees in northern Virginia, Richmond, Lynchburg and Norfolk. ATU’s Local 689, which also endorsed Foy, represents Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) workers.
Carroll Foy, a former delegate in Virginia’s House of Delegates, is seen as a progressive force in the race. She has touted endorsements from Democracy for America, Sunrise Movement Virginia, Virginia Justice Democrats and IBEW Local 26. She raised over $1.9 million last year in her gubernatorial campaign.
The former delegate was the first candidate to jump in the race for the governor’s mansion, which now includes former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Virginia Lieutenant Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), state Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D) and Del. Lee Carter (D).
McAuliffe is widely seen as the frontrunner in the race, raising a record $6.1 million in the end of 2020. Additionally, the former governor has received endorsements from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), as well as Virginia House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D), Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D) and state Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D), who are serving as his campaign co-chairs.
A YouGov poll released last week showed 43 percent of voters backing McAuliffe and 30 percent saying they were undecided. McClellan and Carroll Foy garnered 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Carter and Fairfax both received 6 percent support.