Before election day, the California and Nevada credit union leagues sat down with more than 200 state and federal candidates.
That’s the kind of calendar that makes a campaign manager wince, and it set the stage for a post-election briefing at the REACH 2026 conference yesterday, where credit union leaders heard how the 2026 midterm results reshape the landscape.
Leading the session were Jeremy Empol, president and CEO; Robert Wilson, executive vice president; Stephanie Cuevas, senior vice president; and Angelica Pappalardo, political advocacy manager. Their core message: majorities may change hands in Washington, D.C., but the credit union mission doesn’t. Empol described advocacy as a year-round cycle of relationship-building, powered by grassroots action. “Every vote counts — in California, Nevada, and nationwide,” he said. “We are committed to owning our credit union narrative and championing our positive impact directly with elected officials.”
On Capitol Hill, Cuevas said Democratic gains are projected to flip congressional committees. There’s some good news in that shake-up: a couple of credit union champions in Congress are poised to move up in House floor leadership and on the House Financial Services Committee. The shift also brings a sharper focus on affordability and oversight, especially around consumer fees, lending standards, and artificial intelligence (AI) governance. Expect Democrats to lean harder on oversight across many industries. Cuevas’s answer is to show the real thing: “Our defense is showcasing the authentic credit union difference — from financial wellness to community giving.”
Empol added that crypto and AI will likely draw the most scrutiny, and lawmakers tend to chase the biggest targets first. But credit unions shouldn’t get comfortable. Steady grassroots advocacy is what keeps the industry from becoming collateral damage when the oversight spotlight swings wide.
Closer to home, California voters chose former Attorney General Xavier Becerra as governor, which gives the California league an established relationship at the top. Democrats expanded their supermajorities in Sacramento, yet Wilson expects the key Senate and Assembly banking committees to stay stable. Newly elected moderate Democrats could carry real influence. At regulators like California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) and Nevada’s Financial Institutions Division (FID), Wilson expects continuity in top leadership, along with subtle shifts in priorities under the new administrations.
Nevada also promoted its former attorney general, Aaron Ford, to governor, ending the state’s split-party dynamic. Credit unions there remain generally well-positioned, with friends in legislative caucuses on both sides of the aisle.
Payments policy isn’t going anywhere. The leagues will keep watching federal fights over the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), while state-level proposals targeting interchange fees mean fresh education for incoming lawmakers in Sacramento and Carson City. Cuevas and Empol also noted that the White House’s deregulatory directives, including those flowing through the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), will face oversight hearings from the new congressional committees. That’s where the leagues’ earlier educational groundwork should pay off.
Attendees heard that all politics is local, along with a Capitol Hill adage: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Pappalardo urged credit unions to host legislator visits and candidate discussions, and Wilson called the post-election period a good moment to get more involved. Empol put it plainly: “Advocacy is not a spectator sport. We all have a role to play. We need champions across the board. Advocacy, impact, and membership — that’s what we do, and we do it together with you.”
For you, that means the invitation is open. Invite your local legislator to your branch, introduce yourself to new lawmakers, and tell your credit union’s story before someone else tells it for you.