PRESS RELEASE | July 23, 2026
Contact: press@lgulbranson.com
EVELETH, MN — The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 242 has endorsed Luke Gulbranson in his campaign for the DFL nomination in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.
Local 242 joins a growing coalition of labor backing Gulbranson, whose campaign has centered on lowering costs for working families, protecting healthcare, and standing up for workers.
“Luke Gulbranson understands what it means to build a life through hard work, because he’s lived it,” said Don Smith, Business Manager and Financial Secretary for IBEW Local 242. “Our members need a representative in Congress who’s going to fight for good wages, safe job sites, and the right to organize — not someone who sides with corporate interests every time it counts. Luke has shown us he’ll stand with working people, and that’s why IBEW Local 242 is proud to endorse him.”
Gulbranson, whose own family found stability through a union job on the Iron Range, said the endorsement reflects the campaign’s focus on the people doing the work.
“IBEW Local 242 built the lines and the infrastructure that this district runs on,” Gulbranson said. “I’m honored to have their support, and I’ll never stop fighting for the workers and unions that built the middle class in this country.”
IBEW Local 242 represents qualified electrical, construction, wireman, and manufacturing workers in Duluth and across northeastern and east central Minnesota. IBEW members are on the frontlines of keeping America powered.
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About Luke
Luke Gulbranson’s roots run deep in the red dirt of the Iron Range, starting with his great grandfather who was a foreman at the Oliver mine. Born and raised in Eveleth, Minnesota, he is the son of Lyle, an Operating Engineers Local 49 union member, and Cindy, a nurse caregiver. In a community defined by hockey and home to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Luke began skating at just two years old.
Growing up, life wasn’t easy for Luke and his family. There were times when they relied on food assistance, Medicaid, and support from their community to get by. The sting of an electricity shut-off notice, the long winters when heat was uncertain, and the resilience it took to push through were recurring challenges his family faced.
Hockey became Luke’s lifeline. He learned discipline, grit, and the value of teamwork. But at 19, a head injury forced him to chart a new course. Luke found a new path in media, and he supported himself through acting and modeling. While the experience broadened his horizons and exposed him to a world far beyond northern Minnesota, he always felt the call of Minnesota to come back home.
During the pandemic, Luke returned to Eveleth to build a new chapter of his life. He constructed his home in the woods, and he lives there today, grounded in the same community that raised him. He is a youth hockey coach, small businessman, outdoorsman, and woodworker who spends his days tapping maple trees, running the trails with his border collie Trapper, riding motorcycles and picking his guitar.
He lives a short drive from his parents, where he sees them face the challenges of so many families in northern Minnesota – balancing their household needs on a fixed income and increasing financial strain. Luke’s family has faced serious health challenges, including cancer and physical disability. They’ve seen firsthand how rising healthcare and, especially, prescription drug costs, put an enormous strain on health and well-being.
In Congress, Luke will fight for what matters to Minnesota families because this is personal for him. He won’t let the rigged system that benefits billionaires and corporate special interests end our way of life. For more information, visit www.lukegulbranson.com.