Matt Beck (IBEW 1837) Wins Special Election for South Portland House Seat

PHOTO: Bro Beck and union volunteers.

Congratulations to Brother Matt Beck (IBEW 1837) on his victory in a special election for State Representative in House District 122, which comprises part of South Portland! On Tuesday, Matt Beck defeated unenrolled candidates Tristram Howard and Brendan Williams. Unofficial election nights results showed Beck with 1,206 votes, followed by Williams with 239 votes, and Howard with 175, according to results from the city clerk’s office.

"I'm grateful for the tremendous amount of support from working people and their unions during the campaign as well as members of the South Portland community," said Beck in a statement. "They helped me knock on doors, write letters, and offered advice that was very helpful. I'm looking forward to partnering with organized labor to advance priorities that support workers, their families and their communities."

Beck has long history in the labor movement including service as an IBEW 1837 steward and chief steward at WGME-TV, where he led a bargaining unit of 50 people and fought hard against a union-busting corporation to protect collective bargaining rights. He has been active with the Maine AFL-CIO and Southern Maine Labor Council for many years and we know he will work hard to represent the interest of the working class in the Maine House of Representatives.

Beck will succeed the late Lois Galway Reckitt, a longtime women’s rights activist, who held the seat for three and half terms before passing away in October. Reckitt asked Beck to run for her seat and he has stated he will “honor her legacy of compassionate laws that protect Mainers, ensure equal rights to all people, and work to solve the problems facing us today.”

Matt Beck’s example shows what working people can accomplish when we work together. His campaign was truly a team effort and union members from across the state volunteered to knock on doors to help him get him elected. Beck also took our Worker Candidate Training that trains union members how to run campaigns for local office. We could use several more pro-labor legislators like Bro Beck so if you’re interested in running for local office contact Adam Goode at adam@maineaflcio.org