FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@cwu226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union continues largest get out the vote program in Nevada as Early Vote enters final days
BROLL of Culinary Union canvassers in the field
Las Vegas, NV - Culinary Union continues to launch the largest political team in Nevada during Early Vote and through Election Day. Hundreds of hospitality workers have taken a leave of absence from their casino jobs to talk to voters and get out the vote during Nevada's 2026 midterm elections for Governor, Congress, the Nevada Legislature, and important state and local elections up and down the ballot.
“Nevada is barely purple, with a third Democrats, a third Republicans, and a third Independents, but if Democrats can win here, they can win anywhere in the country. Political leaders win in Nevada by focusing on working-class kitchen-table issues. Culinary Union members are nervous about the economy and cost of living. The Trump Slump has impacted the work hours of thousands of hospitality workers while prices for gas, groceries, rent, and power bills keep climbing,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “Joe Lombardo has been Trump’s biggest cheerleader, afraid to stand up to him over tariffs, the war, and how expensive everything is, and he will not stand up to the for-profit healthcare corporations that are driving up healthcare costs. Nevada needs a real course correction and that starts with electing Aaron Ford as the next Governor of Nevada. Nationally, we are urging Democrats to be clear about what they will do on day one when they take back the House: Lower healthcare costs by bringing back the Obamacare subsidies, lower everyday prices by reining in the tariffs and ending the war, and rein in ICE and give hardworking immigrant workers the status to work without fear of deportation so ranchers, farmers, and industry have the workforce they need to bring this economy back. This country is off the rails and we’ve got to get it back on track. That’s why Culinary Union has hundreds of hospitality workers knocking on doors and mobilizing voters. Working-class people talking to working-class voters is how we will win in Nevada.”
WHO:
*Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union
*Diana Valles, President of the Culinary Union
*Hundreds of Culinary Union canvassers
WHAT & WHEN: Canvass launches -
*Thursday, October 29: 12:00pm
*LAST DAY OF EARLY VOTE: Friday, October 30: 12:00pm
*Sunday, November 1: 12:00pm
*Monday, November 2: 12:00pm
*ELECTION DAY: Tuesday, November 3: 6:00am
NOTE: Launch times subject to change. Canvass launches are only open to media with an RSVP.
Hospitality workers who have taken a leave of absence from their casino jobs are available for interviews in English or Spanish, and limited shadowing opportunities are available for reporters wanting to spend an hour in the field with canvassers after the launch.
To attend any of the available canvass launches through Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, shadow a team of canvassers in the field, or schedule interviews with workers or Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge, RSVP here.
WHERE: Culinary Union HQ (5241 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89146)
WHY:
Culinary Union previously released its 2026 Endorsement Guide and is proud to run the largest political program in Nevada to elect Aaron Ford for Governor, Cisco Aguilar for Secretary of State, Congressional Representatives Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee, and elect Culinary Union members Linda Hunt to Assembly District 17 and Joe Spica to Assembly District 35. Culinary Union has also endorsed a YES vote on Question 6 (Women’s Rights) and a NO vote on Question 7 (Require Voter ID) on the 2026 Nevada ballot.
As the Culinary Union continues to celebrate its 90th anniversary, Nevada's largest union is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of voters during the 2026 midterms to elect political leaders who will continue to fight and deliver for Nevadans.
Political canvassers reflect the Culinary Union's diverse membership, which is majority women, and majority Black, Latino, Asian American, and people of color, and who are committed to organizing and winning economic and racial justice. Culinary Union has worked for over nine decades to build worker power and strength as the largest union in Nevada. Each political effort draws from the Culinary Union's 90 years of rich knowledge of effective and precise voter contact, which is rooted in the principle of working people talking to each other about the importance of building collective power through voting.
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ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 120,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union's members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada's largest Latino/a, Black, AAPI, and immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latino/a, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 90 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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