Washington State Nurses Association endorses Kamala Harris

The 2024 presidential election poses critical implications for nursing, health care, labor, and the future of our country. After careful consideration, the Board of Directors of the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) endorses Kamala Harris for President.

Historically, WSNA deferred to our national professional association, the American Nurses Association (ANA), to endorse presidential candidates. In 2020, after the removal of a prescriptive endorsement process that was established decades earlier, ANA did not endorse a presidential candidate. This year, WSNA co-sponsored a motion to urge the ANA Board of Directors to endorse a presidential candidate. This motion unfortunately failed to pass at the June 2024 Membership Assembly. Our national labor partner, AFT, overwhelmingly voted to support Kamala Harris at its recent national convention.

Given the unprecedented potential impact on nurses and patients in this election, WSNA made an endorsement decision guided by our values and priorities. As nurses, we are not afraid to speak up and advocate for our patients and our communities in every venue, from the bedside to Olympia to Capitol Hill and the White House. As we do in our direct care of patients, we as a profession have a responsibility to take a stand when we face circumstances that have a direct impact on nurses and patients. In the face of serious consequences for nursing and our healthcare system, remaining silent in this election would be antithetical to our identity as nurses and patient advocates.

Nurses are repeatedly ranked the most trusted and ethical profession in the United States for a reason: We stand as fierce advocates for what is right for the health of our communities regardless of headwinds we may face. It is our view that we are compelled to take a public stand in this consequential election year.

The candidates offer a stark contrast in their records and positions in areas of key importance to Washington nurses.

• Vice President Harris has a long record of supporting wider access to health care and has pledged to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the in the U.S. Senate for the Inflation Reduction Act, which requires the government to negotiate prices for Medicare-covered drugs and limits monthly insulin costs to $35 for Medicare beneficiaries. She has been outspoken in supporting access to reproductive health care, pushing for legislation ensuring the right of women to choose abortion. She has championed LGBTQ rights.

Vice President Harris has been a champion of the recent nursing home regulations requiring minimum staffing levels. She has supported expanded funding for the healthcare workforce, including efforts to increase diversity. As California Attorney General she led efforts to scrutinize health system consolidation proposals. Harris is strongly pro-labor and will continue the progress made by President Biden in appointing a majority on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that reversed the Trump-era NLRB’s efforts to erode workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively.

• Former President Trump has opposed the Affordable Care Act, vocally supported efforts to repeal it, and as President actively undermined it. He denied the significance of COVID, substantially delaying efforts to address the pandemic; he has continued to spread disinformation about COVID, vaccine safety, and other key public health measures. He removed regulatory protections in health care for LGBTQ people. He has boasted of his success in appointing Supreme Court Justices who helped form a majority that reversed Roe v. Wade and has undermined the role of scientific expertise in federal agency actions, among other regressive rulings. If he returns to the White House, his NLRB appointments will once again weaken workers’ rights to organize and bargain. His supporters in Congress are pushing for legislation to repeal staffing requirements in long-term care. He openly opposes and mocks efforts to progress toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice [1].

WSNA’s endorsement is based on the candidates’ records and positions, not based on political party. We remain a nonpartisan organization. Nurses work with patients and individuals of all political identities and backgrounds and will continue to do so. Our values transcend political party. We will work with candidates who support our priorities. We will not change our core values to meet the platform of any political party. At the same time, we cannot remain silent in order to create a false sense of political neutrality. We must always stand for what is right.

Accordingly, we are proud to add our voices in support of Kamala Harris for President.

[1] The Kaiser Family Foundation provides a more detailed and continually updated comparison.