Click Bishop adds another union endorsement

Gubernatorial candidate Click Bishop has secured his second major labor endorsement in as many weeks, solidifying his status as the preferred choice of Alaska’s powerful union bloc, and raising questions about how he fits into a Republican Party increasingly defined by fiscal restraint and skepticism toward organized labor’s influence in Alaska politics.

Earlier this month, Bishop picked up the backing of the Teamsters. This week, the International Union of Operating Engineers followed suit, giving Bishop two of the largest, best-funded labor groups in the state. The endorsements come with massive political infrastructure, including paid canvassing, member mobilization, and substantial independent expenditures. All that can quickly elevate a candidate’s statewide viability.

Bishop, a Republican, has long been viewed as aligned with organized labor and at odds with the priorities of mainstream and conservative Republicans. A former state senator and former Department of Labor commissioner, Bishop has repeatedly supported returning state workers to a defined benefits pension system, the costly retirement structure that helped drive the state toward fiscal crisis nearly twenty years ago before lawmakers replaced it with a defined-contribution plan.

Reinstating defined benefits has become a top demand of Alaska’s public-sector unions, but it remains one of the most controversial proposals in Juneau, with fiscal analysts warning it could recreate the unfunded pension liabilities that once burdened the state budget for decades.

Whether Bishop will be embraced as a “true Republican” remains uncertain. While he is running in the GOP primary, his close ties to Big Labor and his policy alignment with union leadership place him outside the ideological mainstream of the party’s conservative base.

Still, the union machine is formidable. With deep pockets and robust member networks, the Teamsters and Operating Engineers can dramatically shape early fundraising and turnout patterns, helping lift Bishop into the role of a potential dark-horse contender.

For now, Bishop’s campaign appears to be building momentum in a lane few other Republicans occupy: a pro-labor candidacy backed by some of the most powerful political organizations in Alaska.

Union dollars and their associated muscle flowing his way could make him a far more competitive figure than his critics anticipate.

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