U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele received a needed endorsement in his gubernatorial bid Thursday from the United Public Workers union, while opponent Lt. Gov. Josh Green simultaneously was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, adding to Green’s long list of support from Hawaii labor unions.

Kahele’s endorsement from the UPW — Hawaii’s second-largest public workers union with 11,000 members — comes amid his call to outlaw “direct union-to-candidate contributions” while calling himself “a proud card-carrying union member.”

He now has been endorsed by three unions, including Iron Workers Local 625 and the masons, after telling their leaders he would not accept donations from union political action committees.

Kahele, who flies for Hawaiian Airlines and belong to the pilots union, said his message was that union leadership needs to truly represent their members, especially when they appear before the next administration during contract talks.

“It took me sitting down with them to tell them this is where we need to go as a state and this is where we need to go as a union,” Kahele told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Rather than accept a maximum $5,000 union PAC contribution, Kahele said it’s much more meaningful for him to get “5,000 $1 donations” from individual union members.

By accepting PAC and corporate fundraising in previous campaigns, “I was part of the problem,” Kahele said. “I see that now. I was a part of the problem, and I’m trying to change it.”

He called the UPW endorsement ahead of the Aug. 13 Democratic primary election “a shot of energy. It’s a big boost to our campaign. In my humble opinion, it’s validation that our message is resonating across Hawaii.”

In a statement, UPW State Director Kalani Werner said, “Over UPW’s nearly 80-year history in fighting for Hawai‘i workers, we have supported leaders who share our vision. Kai shares our values of building grassroots support, advocating for working families and a lower cost of living, and ensuring that fundamental rights of Hawai‘i’s public workers remain protected. These last two-and-a-half years have been challenging for our members who were on the frontlines of the pandemic, and we believe that Kai is the right person to lead our state as we move forward.”

Colin Moore, director of the University of Hawaii’s Public Policy Center, said Kahele’s UPW endorsement “is exactly the sort of thing that Kai Kahele needs right now: an endorsement from one of the major unions. It keeps his campaign viable. It really will mean a lot to his campaign.”

A union endorsement can translate into union members’ votes while also turning out volunteers to sign-wave and boosting confidence among potential donors.

“Unions like to back a winner,” Moore said. “It really signals that this big organization thinks that you have a real chance of winning this race.”

Vicky Cayetano, a business entrepreneur and former Hawaii first lady, is running for her first elected office to become governor and so far has been endorsed only by the Patsy T. Mink Foundation.

Asked about her lone endorsement, Cayetano told the Star-Advertiser in a statement, “We are not playing that game. We are focused on talking to the people of Hawaii about the economic crisis our state is facing.”

But Moore said Cayetano’s relative lack of endorsements puts her “in a bit of a difficult spot. She’s coming from a business owner background, and the big endorsers are labor — and labor unions are naturally skeptical of someone from a business background.”

On Thursday, Green won the endorsement of the Hawaii State American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations, better known as AFL-CIO.

In a statement, Randy Perreira, president of the Hawaii State AFL-CIO, said, “We saw during the COVID- 19 pandemic that Josh Green is a leader who won’t back down from a challenge. Over the past two years, Josh was on the front lines — both as a doctor and Lieutenant Governor — helping to establish protocols that ensured Hawaii’s workers could continue to provide for their families, pay their rent, and put food on the table. As Hawaii returns to normal, the cost of housing, access to healthcare, and food costs are again front of mind for Hawaii’s workers. With an effective, proven leader in the Governor’s office, we can overcome these challenges and build a better future for Hawaii’s workers. At AFL-CIO, we believe Josh is that leader, and we offer him our full-fledged endorsement and support.”

The AFL-CIO Is an umbrella organization of 74 unions and councils representing over 68,000 public and private union members.

The union’s backing follows endorsements of Green by the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association; Hawaii Plumbers and Fitters Local 675; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Locals 1186, 1260 and 1357; Hawaii Government Employees Association; University of Hawaii Professional Assembly; Hawaii State Teachers Association; International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142; Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters; Operating Engineers Local 3; the Unite Here Local 5 hotel workers union; Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association; and Maui Lodging and Tourism Association.

An early lead in campaign contributions and the overwhelming number of endorsements suggests “that Josh Green is the leading candidate,” Moore said.

But Kahele, who entered the race well after Green, said he should not be counted out, because the three unions now supporting his campaign also endorsed Gov. David Ige in 2018.

Moore agrees the race to become Hawaii’s next governor is not over, especially with a major endorsement for Kahele this close to the August primary.

“Getting a big union endorsement if you’re coming from behind is really key,” Moore said.