By Doug Cunningham

Will a blue tide wash the red away in many states and Congressional districts this fall? United Steelworkers Indiana Rapid Response Coordinator, Brett Voorhies thinks it will. Democrats backed by unions have won three recent special elections in solid “red” Congressional districts – Illinois, Louisiana and in Mississippi. In Indiana, Voorhies says the USW made the difference backing Jill Long Thompson, the first woman to win the Democratic Gubernatorial nomination in Indiana. He believes unions will help turn Indiana blue, regardless of whether the Democratic presidential nominee is Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

[Voorhies]: “I think Indiana is on the path to being a blue state. Just the impact that we had in our primary, you know when 1.2 million people came out and voted Democrat, which is the biggest primary as far as I know that we've had in Indiana history. So, I think either one is gonna bring a big impact to the state of Indiana and possibly turn Indiana into a blue state."

Voorhies says that worker political action through their unions can make a huge difference. In Indiana, Republican Governor Mitch Daniels took away state employee collective bargaining rights in his first hour in office. Workers and their unions, Voorhies says, can reverse actions like those.

[Voorhies]: “Jill, on day one will restore those collective bargaining rights for state employees and give them their union back."