Credit union-supported candidates see primary wins in AL, ME, TX
WASHINGTON, DC (July 15, 2020) — Candidates backed by America’s credit unions saw several victories in primary races in Maine and runoff elections in Alabama in Texas Tuesday.
As of July 14, candidates backed by state credit union Leagues and Credit Union Legislative Action Council (CULAC), CUNA’s federal political action committee, have won 257 races nationwide.
Former Congressman Pete Sessions defeated challenger Renee Swann with 53.5% of the vote. Sessions previously served in Congress from 1997 to 2019 before being defeated by Rep. Colin Allred (D).
Sessions will face Democrat Rich Kennedy in November’s election to represent Texas’ 17th Congressional District, which is currently held by Rep. Bill Flores (R), who will not seek re-election.
Sessions, former chair of the House Rules Committee, was a strong credit union supporter during his time in Congress, including sponsoring CUNA-backed mortgage regulatory relief legislation that passed the House in 2017.
In the Republican runoff for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, credit union-backed Jerry Carl defeated challenger Bill Hightower with 52% of the vote. He will run in November to fill the seat left open by Rep. Bradley Byrne, who will not seek re-election.
Carl, a Mobile County commissioner, will face Democrat James Averhart in November.
In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins (R) won her primary, and will seek a fifth term against Democratic challenger Sara Gideon in November.
Collins is a strong credit union champion, meeting regularly with the Maine Credit Union League and introducing Paycheck Protection Program, elder abuse prevention and federal rulemaking legislation, in addition to supporting legislation to increase the member business lending cap and other regulatory relief.In Maine House races, two credit union-backed incumbents won in uncontested primaries, Reps. Chellie Pingree (D) and Jared Golden (D).
For more information and primary results please visit the CUNA elections homepage, CUNA.org/elections.
About CUNA
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 135 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org. To find your nearest credit union, visit YourMoneyFurther.com.
