Ironworker Brian Poindexter’s Worker-First Run in Ohio’s 7th Seat

Ironworkers Local 17 member and Brook Park (Ohio) City Councilman Brian Poindexter joined today’s America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his campaign for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, which he says is built around a simple test: whether Washington, D.C., is willing to reward work instead of wealth.

Poindexter discussed the union apprenticeship he said changed his life and why he believes that the same ladder to stability should be available to every working family through fair wages, affordable health care and secure retirement.

• Poindexter says his campaign platform centers on wages, health care and retirement as unifying issues for working families across party lines.
• He describes an old-school field strategy focused on door knocking, town halls and direct voter contact in what he believes is a gerrymandered district.
• Poindexter points to union and national endorsements, plus his city council record that includes opposing so-called “Right-to-Work” policies.

A union hard hat is showing up in a place where working-class voices are often filtered through consultants, donors and party scripts.

On America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Ironworkers Local 17 member Brian Poindexter made the case that his run for Congress is less about ideology and more about representation. A five-term Brook Park City Councilman, Poindexter is seeking the Democratic nomination in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, a seat repeatedly reshaped by redistricting that has made it a steep climb for Democrats. Poindexter said the challenge is real, but he believes the district’s political identity is more complicated than the map suggests.

Poindexter said he is running a “worker-first” campaign aimed at voters who feel ignored by Washington, regardless of party affiliation. He is running because too many elected officials either do not understand the pressures facing working families or have decided those pressures are not a priority, he said.

A tradesman’s path to the middle class

Poindexter told listeners his working life began early. He started earning a paycheck at 15 and spent years in non-union jobs before joining the Ironworkers Union. He joined the union at 27, a late start by apprenticeship standards, and described the contrast as immediate.

According to Poindexter, the apprenticeship system gave him a career, training and a set of benefits that were not available in his previous jobs. He started in 2007 and completed the program in 2012.

Poindexter said his experience pushed him to organize non-union ironworkers. As an organizer, he said he saw how labor law and workplace rules often tilt toward employers, making it harder for workers to bargain for better pay, safety and benefits. He described that period as a turning point. Once he understood how the system worked, he could no longer ignore it.

The demands of organizing were difficult on his family, he said, which led him to return to the field, but the underlying frustration remained. In his view, workers repeatedly say they want someone in Washington who lives as they do. He decided to stop waiting for someone else to step up.

From City Hall to Congress: A record built on access and labor policy

Poindexter said he first ran for the Brook Park, Ohio City Council in 2017 and took office in 2018. He is now serving his fifth term.

Local government taught him a basic standard of representation that he believes is missing at the federal level: being responsive. Poindexter said he has a 100% callback rate to residents, meaning he returns every call and addresses concerns directly. He wants to bring that same approach to a congressional office he believes has become distant and formulaic in its communication.

On policy, Poindexter focuses on actions he says are designed to support workers. Early in his tenure, he introduced a resolution opposing so-called “Right-to-Work” legislation at the state level. The measure passed and was sent to state lawmakers as a statement that Brook Park rejects policies that weaken unions, he said.

After his community lost its post office, Poindexter said he has worked to identify practical ways to sustain postal services and employment.

He added that he has consistently supported union-approved contracts for city service workers, including police and fire, and has backed investments in equipment and tools needed to do the job.

Poindexter also pointed to a technology and innovation committee he introduced, which he said helped the city maintain public access during the pandemic by livestreaming council meetings and expanding community communications. He described the committee’s work as a way to keep civic life open during periods of limited in-person participation.

Ohio’s 7th District: A map drawn to protect power

Poindexter said his Congressional District spans the western and southern suburbs of Cuyahoga County, includes all of Medina and Ashland counties and the northern half of Wayne County.

He said the district is widely viewed as gerrymandered, but he argues that political operatives have misread the region by treating voters as permanently locked into one party. In his view, the area has a long pro-worker, pro-union tradition that can be activated with the right message.

Poindexter said his campaign is not built on tailoring rhetoric to different audiences. He argued that cost-of-living pressures, health care affordability and retirement insecurity hit rural and suburban communities alike. The same economic reality applies whether a voter lives in a Cleveland suburb or along the U.S. 30 corridor, he said.

A ground game built on direct contact

Poindexter said the modern media environment is saturated with misinformation and political fatigue, making it harder to break through with traditional advertising alone.

His response, he said, is a ground-up strategy: door knocking, rallies, town halls and meeting voters where they are. He said he is speaking to Republicans and Democrats alike, emphasizing that his campaign is for anyone who works for a living.

Poindexter argued that the message resonates because it is rooted in shared experience rather than party labels. He described himself as a neighbor, a local official and a worker who can talk plainly with voters and still deliver a serious policy agenda.

Economic development and union jobs: The Brook Park stadium project

Poindexter also discussed the planned relocation of the Cleveland Browns stadium and surrounding development in Brook Park, a project that has generated regional debate.

He acknowledged that some residents support the project while others oppose it or object to the funding mechanisms. Still, Poindexter said he supports the development because of its projected labor impact.

He cited estimates of roughly 6,000 union construction jobs tied to the build, plus thousands more permanent jobs connected to hotels, restaurants, retail and related activity. He contrasted that with previous plans for the site, which he said would have produced far fewer jobs.

Poindexter also argued that the move could create additional opportunities for Cleveland by opening space for lakefront redevelopment, thereby generating more construction work and economic activity.

Endorsements and a national spotlight

In a Democratic primary field of eight candidates, Poindexter said he is the only union member running.

Labor support is not automatic, but he said unions are backing him because of his record, discipline and ability to credibly represent the labor movement.

Poindexter highlighted endorsements from the Ohio AFL-CIO, the UAW, IAM Union, IUPAT, CWA and the Iron Workers International.

He also described a chain of national attention that began with a campaign launch video and early coverage that portrayed his candidacy as a strong opportunity to compete in the district. He said that visibility helped lead to endorsements from U.S. Congressmen Chris Deluzio and Ro Khanna.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders later endorsed him after conversations about his message and his decision to run, Poindexter said.

A closing argument: Build worker power locally and nationally

Poindexter concluded by saying the country will not change until working people stop outsourcing politics to professionals and start running for office themselves.

He urged listeners to get involved in school boards, city councils and local elections, arguing that worker coalitions do not appear overnight. They are built seat by seat, contract by contract and election by election.

For Poindexter, he said his campaign is a test of whether the labor movement can send more people who have worn a tool belt into institutions that too often treat real work as an afterthought.

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