Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), has announced her decision not to seek re-election as an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
In a letter dated June 5 to DNC Chair Ken Martin, Weingarten cited a growing disconnect with the party’s current direction and her desire to see a broader, more inclusive approach to engaging communities.
“While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities,” Weingarten wrote in her letter, as reported by Politico. The DNC has not yet responded to requests for comment.
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Weingarten’s departure marks a significant moment for the Democratic Party, particularly given her prominent role in national education policy and labor movements. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was a vocal proponent of keeping students out of classrooms and advocated for the allocation of an estimated $190 billion in COVID relief packages to schools.
This stance drew criticism from some who pointed to observational data suggesting schools did not significantly drive outbreaks and subsequent reports highlighting the negative impact of school closures on student test scores, behavior, educational attainment, and future earnings.
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Beyond pandemic-era policies, Weingarten’s AFT has been active on other fronts, including a lawsuit filed in February against the Trump Department of Education over its efforts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Weingarten is not the only prominent labor leader to step away from the DNC.
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Medical Employees (AFSCME), also declined to renew his nomination to the DNC on May 27, according to The New York Times. Both Weingarten and Saunders had supported Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler in the DNC chairmanship race, a move that preceded Weingarten’s removal from the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee by Chair Martin.
News of Weingarten’s decision also follows the recent ouster of former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who had publicly pledged to primary certain congressional Democrats.
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On BlueSky, Weingarten stated her future focus: “AFT & I will spend our time trying to make life better for working people in other ways. There’s much to be done to save our democracy, educate our kids & help working people thrive.” Her exit suggests a potential redirection of her considerable influence towards independent advocacy for labor and education, outside the direct confines of the DNC.
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