Committee on Political Education (COPE)  

Contact: Rick Powell: Political Coordinator 202-974-8154 (office)

Welcome to the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO Political Action page!
At the Metro Council, political action happens primarily through the Committee on Political Education, or "COPE."

Near Clean-Sweep for Labor-Endorsed Candidates & Issues
Metro-area labor’s endorsed candidates and initiatives scored a near clean-sweep Tuesday. President Obama won handily in DC and Maryland, as expected, and once again carried swing-state Virginia, where labor conducted extensive voter ID and GOTV efforts that were part of a national Democratic/labor ground game that defeated a massive GOP and right-wing funded ad blitz.

Maryland: In addition to wins by labor-endorsed candidates Ben Cardin (U.S. Senate), Dutch Ruppersberger (CD 2), John Sarbanes (CD 3), Donna Edwards (CD 4), Steny Hoyer (CD 5), John Delaney (CD 6), Elijah Cummings (CD 7) and Chris Van Hollen (CD 8), all the labor-supported referenda passed, including Question 4 (Dream Act), Question 5 (Re-Districting), Question 6 (Marriage Equality) and Question 7 (Gaming). Montgomery County’s Ballot Question B (Effects Bargaining For Police Employees) was approved, in a defeat for labor, and while results had not yet been finalized in the Prince George’s County Board of Education races, endorsed candidates Edward Burroughs and Carletta Fellows appear to have won, but Clifford Savoy lost his race for the Calvert County School Board.

District of Columbia: Eleanor Holmes Norton won as U.S. House Delegate, while in the DC City Council, labor-endorsed candidates Jack Evans (Ward 2), Muriel Bowser (Ward 4), Yvette Alexander (Ward 7), Marion Barry (Ward 8), Vincent Orange (At-Large) and Phil Mendelson (Chairman) won, but Michael Brown (At-Large) lost.

Virginia: In what NoVA Labor president Dan Duncan modestly called a “pretty good evening overall,” labor’s wins included Tim Kaine (U.S. Senate), Jim Moran (CD 8), and Gerry Connolly (CD 11), while Adam Cook (CD 1) and Kristin Cabral (CD 10) lost. The labor-endorsed slate won in the City of Alexandria: Mayor William Euille, and City Council member Paul Smedberg, Allison Silberberg, John Taylor Chapman, Del Pepper, Justin Wilson and Tim Lovain.

- published 11/8/2012; photos: Unite Here 25 member Shondra Alston doorknocks in Burke, VA (above); Metro Council Assistant Legislative/Political Coordinator Alya Solomon (l) and Union Cities Assistant Mobilizer Julia Kann call Virginia union voters at the AFL-CIO phonebank(below); photos by Chris Garlock


What is COPE?
COPE stands for the Committee on Political Education.  It is committees made up of union members that informs and mobilizes union families to encourage their participation in the political process. Working men and women can express their voice in politics and policy issues that affect their lives.

What does COPE do?
Committees are responsible for running information and mobilization campaigns on local issues. The COPE provides financial contributions to worker-friendly candidates running for office, provides information to union families about the candidates and their positions on the issues affecting their lives such as, decent health care, pension, and safe working conditions are among the concerns influenced by the political process. Committees organize grass-roots mobilization efforts to win important legislation and track the voting records of our state and local legislators on issues affecting working families. Committees also use this information to interview and screens candidates running for office, making endorsement recommendations to the Executive Board of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO.

COPE empowers union members by:
- Providing political education
- Raising political funds
- Endorsing candidates based on our issues
- Supporting and contributing to endorsed candidates
- Implementing get-out-the-vote programs
- Educating public officials on our issues
- Contacting and rallying support for our issues

Meetings
The DC COPE meets every 2nd Tuesday of the month (except for July and August) at the
Iron Workers Local 201 (1507 Rhode Island Ave NE, Washington, DC).

Montgomery County & Prince George's County COPE meets ___.

Get Involved
For more information about DC COPE, contact Alya Solomon at asolomon@dclabor.org or call 202-974-8222.
For more information about Maryland COPE in Charles, St. Mary's Calvert and Montgomery and Prince George's counties, contact Rick Powell at rpowell@dclabor.org or 202-974-8154.

THE LATEST FROM COPE

CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRES

2012 DC Council Chair Special Election

2012 DC At-Large General Election

2012 DC SPECIAL WARD 5 CITY COUNCIL ELECTION

2012 Maryland 5th, 6th, and 8th Congressional District Primary Election:
Bailey; Delaney; Garagiola; Little; Van Hollen; Hoyer; English; Pooran

2012 DC CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

2010 MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Montgomery County

2010 MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Prince George's County

2010 MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Calvert County

2010 MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Charles County

2010 District of Columbia City Council Candidate Questionnaire

2010 District of Columbia Primary, Council Chair Candidate Questionnaire

2010 PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY: County Office Candidate Questionnaires

2010 Charles County: Candidate Questionnaires

2010 St Mary's County: Candidate Questionnaires

2010 Calvert County: Candidate Questionnaires

2010 Montgomery County: County Office Candidate Questionnaires

2008 DC City Council Candidate Questionnaires

2008 District 4 Candidate Donna Edwards Questionnaire

2008 Congressman Chris Van Hollen Questionnaire

2008 Congressman Steny Hoyer Questionnaire

2007 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: City Council Wards 4 & 7 Candidate Questionnaires

2007 TAKOMA PARK MD: City Council Candidate Questionnaires

2006 General Election Endorsements

2006 DC School Board Endorsements

2006 Maryland State and Calvert County Endorsements

2006 CALVERT COUNTY: County Office Candidate Questionnaires

2006 CHARLES COUNTY: County Office Candidate Questionnaires

2006 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: City Council Candidate Questionnaires

2006 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Mayor & Council Chair Candidate Questionnaires

2006 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: School Board Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 14, 15 & 16 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 17 & 18 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 19, 20 & 39 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 20 & 25 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 21 & 22 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 23 & 24 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 25-27 & 27a Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 27B, 28 & 29 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MARYLAND STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: District 47 Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MONTGOMERY COUNTY: County Executive Candidate Questionnaires

2006 MONTGOMERY COUNTY: County Office Candidate Questionnaires

2006 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY: County Executive Candidate Questionnaires

2006 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY: County Office Candidate Questionnaires

2006 ST MARY’S COUNTY: County Office Candidate Questionnaires

2006 US Congress DC Delegate: Eleanor Holmes Norton

2006 US Congress MD District 4: Al Wynn

2006 US Congress MD District 8: Chris Van Hollen

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