Culinary Union Hails Nevada Democratic Sweep, Cites 'Trump Slump'
The Las Vegas hospitality union says Democratic wins for governor and Congress could help reverse a tourism downturn it blames on federal policy.
The Culinary Union, the Las Vegas-based affiliate of UNITE HERE and the largest gaming and hospitality union in the country, says it is encouraged by Democratic gains in Nevada's 2026 midterm elections and hopeful they will help reverse a prolonged slide in visitor numbers, according to Casino.org News.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, defeated Republican incumbent Governor Joe Lombardo in the race for governor. Incumbent Democratic Representatives Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford all won reelection to Congress, and Representative-elect Teresa Benitez-Thompson flipped Nevada's 4th Congressional District blue for the first time, Casino.org reported.
The results mean Congress will be under Democratic control from January, a shift the union has framed as a potential check on President Donald Trump's administration, which it blames for weak tourism in Southern Nevada.
Casino.org noted that visitor volume to Las Vegas fell 7.5% in 2025 and has been flat through September 2026. Union leaders attribute what they call the "Trump Slump" to federal policies including mass deportations and rising costs for gas and groceries.
Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said "the Trump Slump has impacted the hours and paychecks of hospitality workers while gas, groceries, rent, power bills, and especially healthcare keep rising."
The union, which has never endorsed a Republican candidate for president, governor or Congress, said Nevadans had voted "for a real course correction" and that it was "proud" to have helped elect Democrats at the federal, state and local level, per Casino.org's report.
Pappageorge also praised Governor-elect Ford as an ally of labour, saying he "will be united with workers when it gets tough, whether we're on strike or fighting the boss, and he will stand up to corporate greed, price gouging, and the for-profit healthcare corporations driving up costs."
The union has been openly critical of outgoing Governor Lombardo for declining to support its long-running effort to organise properties owned by Station Casinos, including Red Rock Casino.
Two Culinary Union members also won seats in the Nevada Assembly on November 3. Assemblymember Linda Hunt, a Democrat representing District 17 and a former food server at the El Cortez Hotel & Casino, won reelection. Assemblymember-elect Joe Spica, a bellman at the Cosmopolitan, defeated Republican incumbent Rebecca Edgeworth in the 35th District, Casino.org reported.