Politics
State of the Union: The union has endorsed the Democratic nominee in every presidential race since 1980.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced Wednesday that it will not endorse any candidate for president, amid polling which shows that its membership favors former President Donald Trump.
The decision comes as a blow to the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris; until this year, the influential 1.3 million–strong labor union had endorsed the Democratic nominee for president in every cycle since 1980.
TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
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“As the strongest and most democratic labor union in America, it was vital for our members to drive this endorsement process. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents proudly call our union home, and we have a duty to represent and respect every one of them,” the statement read. “We strongly encourage all our members to vote in the upcoming election, and to remain engaged in the political process. But this year, no candidate for President has earned the endorsement of the Teamsters’ International Union.”
The statement cited the lack of unanimity of support in polling conducted of Teamsters members: “The union’s extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump.”
The Teamsters’ internal polls showed Trump garnering the support of almost three-fifths of Teamsters’ membership. In their electronic member poll, they found Trump leading Harris by 59.6 percent to 34 percent, while in their research phone poll they found Trump leading Harris 58 percent to 31 percent.