SMART union backs ‘next-generation ally’ Kendrick Meek Jr. in crowded CD 24 contest

A labor union representing some 230,000 workers across the sheet metal, HVAC, roofing, mass transit and freight rail industries is throwing its might behind lawyer Kendrick Meek Jr.’s bid for Florida’s 24th Congressional District.

SMART — the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — endorsed Meek this month, citing his commitment to worker safety, collective bargaining and expanding the middle class.

“SMART (needs) fearless, next-generation allies in Washington who understand the dignity of hard work,” said the group’s General President, Michael Coleman.

“Kendrick Meek has proven that he will stand on the front lines for our sheet metal workers, transit operators, and rail employees. At a time when working families face rising costs, Kendrick will fight to protect workplace safety, defend the right to organize, and ensure federal infrastructure investments create good-paying, union jobs right here in South Florida.”

The SMART nod adds to others from U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty and Jim Clyburn, Miami-Dade School Board Member Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Emeritus Steven Horsford and NBA hall of famer Alonzo Mourning, among others.

Meek expressed gratitude for the SMART endorsement, pledging solidarity with organized labor.

“Our union brothers and sisters at SMART keep our country moving, our buildings safe, and our transit systems running every single day,” he said. “They are the backbone of our communities. In Congress, I will be a relentless champion for the labor movement.”

A University of Miami-trained lawyer who filed for the race in early June, Meek has worked as a House Judiciary Committee intern, a legal assistant with the Human Rights Campaign and served at the federal Office of Management and Budget.

He now practices land use, zoning and real estate development law as an associate at LSN Law.

He is the grandson of former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, one of the first Black members of Congress since Reconstruction, and the son of former U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek Sr., who held the same seat from 2003 to 2011.

Meek is one of seven Democrats running in CD 24, which covers Miami Gardens in Miami-Dade and Hollywood, Miramar, and Pembroke Park in Broward County.

Others running include Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, state Sen. Shevrin Jones, physician-veteran Rudy Moise and former County Commissioner Jean Monestime.

More than 68.7% of voters there backed Kamala Harris in 2024, making the Democratic Primary the race that will effectively determine who succeeds retiring U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson.

The Primary is Aug. 18, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3.