Kaela Berg, a Minnesota state representative and veteran flight attendant, has announced her candidacy for Congress, bringing a pro-union message and a commitment to protect immigrants in a crowded Democratic primary field.
From the Skies to the Statehouse
When the Minnesota state legislature is not in session, Berg can be found working in the skies. For the past six years, she has balanced her duties as a state legislator with shifts as a flight attendant, taking to the air during legislative breaks. 'Even as a state legislator, I still live paycheck to paycheck,' Berg said at a news conference on 3 June 2024. 'I have to have both of those jobs to make ends meet. I've gone without healthcare during the pandemic because I didn't qualify through my employer. I know what it's like to worry about medical bills, to not have healthcare.'
A Union Leader's Journey
Berg, a former union leader with 30 years of experience as a flight attendant, said she witnessed the Trump administration's attacks on the labor movement and wants to fight for fellow workers in Congress. She believes that working people are vastly underrepresented in the halls of power. 'These systems are designed to keep working people down,' Berg said. 'There is no one better to fight for us than one of us, and working people have not been at the table.'
Berg is among a wave of labor movement candidates running for Congress in the 2026 midterms, aiming to win back blue-collar workers. Other union leaders in the race include smokejumper Sam Forstag in Montana, ironworker Brian Poindexter in Ohio, organizer Clair Valdez in New York, and firefighter union president Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania. These candidates emerge as Democrats seek to capitalize on Donald Trump's sinking approval ratings, which hover around 37% according to a recent NBC News poll, to retake the House and possibly the Senate.
Berg's Union Background
Berg has served as vice-president of the Endeavor Association of Flight Attendants, representing flight attendants for Endeavor Air, a Delta Airlines subsidiary based in Minneapolis. She also served as interim president and chair of her local union's government affairs committee, where she learned to negotiate contracts, fight for better pay and benefits, and lobby for worker-friendly policies. This labor background inspired her to enter public service, culminating in her election as a state representative for Saint Paul in 2020 while continuing to work as a flight attendant.
'I got involved in the union in my first year of flying, and really found a home there with the values of solidarity, standing up for each other and fighting against the corporations; it really resonated with me,' Berg said. 'Being a union member is the best part of being a flight attendant.'
Key Issues in the Race
Berg cited the affordability crisis, the dismantling of the National Labor Relations Board, and attempts to strip collective bargaining agreements from hundreds of thousands of federal workers as reasons for entering the race to represent Minnesota's second congressional district. The incumbent, Democrat Angie Craig, is vacating the seat to run for the Senate.
A recent Gallup poll found that a record 55% of Americans say their financial situation is worsening. Berg noted that middle-class constituents in her district struggle to cover necessities like childcare, health insurance premiums, gas, and groceries. She advocates for universal healthcare, fighting corporations and corruption in Congress, and halting Trump's tariffs, which have driven up costs for the average American family. 'I realized that the things that I had learned as an organizer and a labor leader were really important to take into public service,' Berg said. 'My whole reason for getting involved in politics was to fight for hard-working families.'
Immigration Enforcement Controversy
Berg also highlighted the massive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota in January, where federal immigration officers killed two unarmed civilians, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, sparking mass protests and an ongoing federal law enforcement presence in the state at the behest of the Trump administration. 'We have had a violent occupation of ICE agents in our streets for months on end,' Berg said. 'They're still terrorizing our Somali community, especially because of the fraud allegations. We know the agenda from this administration is to demonize immigrants and our communities, because that's how they control people, and we're simply not going to stand for it. I think Minnesota has shown that we've been an active participant in that fight, and I will continue to take that to Congress.'
The Primary Battle
Berg faces a competitive Democratic primary that includes Minnesota state senator Matt Klein and former state senator Matt Little. All three are currently fighting for 60% of delegates to secure an endorsement from the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party on 9 May, with the primary set for 11 August. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, the district favors Democrats by three percentage points.
