SEIU Backs Orlando In 2nd Congressional District Republican Primary As Union Expands GOP Outreach

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

A blue-collar candidate who began his work in the trades in the sixth grade was endorsed by a labor union on Thursday. Why is that news?

Because he’s a Republican candidate for Congress.

The State Employees’ Association, SEIU Local 1984, endorsed Republican Victor Orlando in the NH-02 GOP primary Thursday, as the public-sector union continues its outreach to a Republican Party increasingly powered by working-class voters.

Orlando, a Hollis business owner and construction trades professional, is competing against 2024 GOP nominee Lily Tang Williams in the Sept. 8 primary. The winner will likely face incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, who was also endorsed in her primary Thursday.

“Victor Orlando understands that when workers succeed, our communities succeed,” SEA President Rich Gulla said. “He has shown a genuine commitment to listening to working people and advocating for policies that create fair workplaces, strong public services and economic opportunity for all.”

The union cited Orlando’s support for collective bargaining, public employees, and policies it says would strengthen the middle class.

Orlando, who owns a roofing company and describes himself as having blue-collar roots, welcomed the backing.

“I cannot think of a clearer living expression of the First Amendment than a labor union,” Orlando said. “A union is an assembly of workers using their free speech and free press to petition an employer or the government for better working conditions and fair compensation.”

Such explicit pro-union rhetoric from a Republican is unusual. Government-employee unions have traditionally aligned with Democrats, while Republicans have often supported right-to-work laws and other policies opposed by organized labor.

But Gulla told NHJournal that political assumptions about Republicans and unions are increasingly outdated.

“I think those are old-guard, old-school Republicans who haven’t realized the train has left the station,” Gulla said. “There is a younger generation of Republicans coming up through the party nationally that understands the value of labor.”

In 2024, the union endorsed former Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington in the Democratic primary for governor while backing Kelly Ayotte in the Republican primary. It stayed out of the general election between Ayotte and Democratic nominee Joyce Craig.

The SEA also endorsed Republican Executive Councilors Janet Stevens and Joe Kenney during the 2024 election cycle.

The bipartisan approach began years ago, Gulla told NHJournal in 2024, when the union formed a conservative committee to give its Republican members a larger voice. He estimated at the time that roughly one-third of the union’s membership was Republican.

The SEA represents about 11,000 state, county and municipal employees, as well as retirees. Its members include highway workers, corrections employees and other public servants whose political views do not always align with national union leadership.

The outreach comes as the parties’ traditional coalitions continue to shift. Republicans have made gains among blue-collar and noncollege voters, while Democrats have increased their support among affluent suburbanites and voters with four-year college degrees.

Gulla said the shift reflects a growing recognition among younger Republicans that stable families and communities depend on well-paying jobs.

“Traditional Republican values traditionally value strong family values, Christian values,” Gulla said. “I think the younger generation of Republicans coming up has understood that the American worker has been screwed over for the last several decades, and the only way the working class can have and support those strong family values is with good, decent-paying union jobs.”

He pointed to Republican leaders who have joined workers on picket lines as evidence that the old division between labor and the GOP is fading.

The union’s immediate priorities include preserving collective bargaining rights and opposing right-to-work legislation. But Gulla said its concerns extend beyond traditional labor disputes to the cost pressures facing workers across the state.

“Housing, health care costs that are skyrocketing out of control, energy costs that are skyrocketing out of control, affordable child care — those are impacting Granite State workers tremendously,” Gulla said.

He said the union generally supports Ayotte’s housing initiatives, including discussions about using state-owned property for workforce housing.

Orlando’s background played a role in securing the endorsement, Gulla said, as did his identification as a conventional Republican, rather than with the Free State movement.

The union has not decided whether it will endorse candidates in the November general election, Gulla said. For now, its strategy is to participate in both parties’ primaries and support candidates it believes will listen to its members.

“Victor Orlando values the work our members do and understands that investing in the workforce means investing in the people of New Hampshire,” Gulla said. “We are proud to endorse his campaign.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.