KRON) — Democratic candidate for governor Eric Swalwell has earned the endorsement of one of the most powerful labor groups in California. On Friday, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced that it would be throwing its weight behind the Bay Area congressman in the California gubernatorial race.

The 750,000-member organization is made up of union workers including nurses, healthcare workers, janitors, developmental disability workers, social workers, security officers, airport workers, in-home caregivers, court workers, employees at schools and universities, and city, county and state employees.

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“Today, our campaign has made a major wave with the endorsement of SEIU California State Council,” said Swalwell in a statement provided to KRON4. “To the more than 750,000 California workers — from nurses to janitors, state and public employees to long-term care workers and every single one of the workers that power this state — thank you. I am deeply honored to stand with you and to have earned your support.”

“This endorsement is about more than just a campaign, it’s about a shared belief in building a New California,” Swalwell continued. “Together, we’re going to create a future where every family has a seat at the table and where our economy works for those who build it. SEIU members are the heart and soul of this state. I’m ready to fight for you, and I’m ready to lead with you.”

“Working people need a governor who will stand with us to unrig California and fight for a fair economy,” said SEIU California President David Huerta, “a fearless leader who has a deep understanding through lived experience of our struggles — and who as the experience required to take on the corporations that are driving working people to the breaking point with low pay and benefits, high prices, and avoiding paying what they owe in taxes.”

The SEIU’s endorsement comes at the end of a week in which the Swalwell campaign has been gaining steam. A recent poll from Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics showed Swalwell leading the field, having edged past Republican Steve Hilton.

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A Democratic gubernatorial candidate has taken a slight lead among likely voters for California’s June primary, according to a new poll. 

Congressman Eric Swalwell is leading the primary race with 17% of likely voters, according to an Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll released Wednesday, March 11. 

Republican Steve Hilton follows Swalwell with 13% of likely voters, the poll shows. 

Tom Steyer (D) and Chad Bianco (R) are tied at 11% among likely voters, and Katie Porter (D) follows with 8%, according to the survey, which also shows that a quarter of likely voters remain undecided. 

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“Rep. Swalwell’s support increased among Democratic voters in the past month from 23% to 27%, along with Tom Steyer, whose support among this group also increased from 12% to 16%,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a news release.

Kimball went on to note a plurality of independent voters is undecided (39%), “while 12% support Swalwell and Hilton respectively, and Republicans are split between Hilton (38%) and Bianco (34%).” 

The poll, which was conducted between March 7 and 9, sampled 1,000 likely California voters, had a credibility interval of 3 percentage points. 

The new poll points to a slight reshuffling of candidates, as in late February, a Public Policy Institute of California poll showed five candidates — Hilton, Porter, Bianco, Swalwell, and Steyer — in a “virtual tie” to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

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