On Wednesday, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced it would not endorse a presidential candidate for the upcoming election. This decision came despite internal polling indicating that a majority of union members support former President Donald Trump.
Union President Sean O’Brien explained the rationale for this decision during an appearance on ‘Your World.’ According to the Teamsters’ internal polling, Trump received 59.6% support from union members in an online survey, compared to 34% for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. A separate phone survey showed similar results, with 58% favoring Trump and 31% supporting Harris.
Trump’s popularity among the Teamsters has increased since Harris replaced President Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee. Prior internal polls had shown Biden leading Trump among union members, with 44.3% supporting Biden and 36.3% backing Trump.
The union stated that the decision not to endorse a candidate was made because their extensive polling did not reveal majority support for Harris or universal support for Trump. This marks a significant departure from the union’s usual practices, as the Teamsters have endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992. The last time the union endorsed a Republican was in 1988.
The Teamsters’ decision makes them the only one among the top ten unions in the nation not to back Harris in the current presidential race.
The Trump campaign quickly seized on the union’s polling results. A press release titled “Union Workers Support President Donald Trump” highlighted the voting preferences of the Teamsters’ rank-and-file members. Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the union workers’ support for Trump underscores their desire to see him return to the White House.
In response, the Harris campaign emphasized her longstanding support for organized labor. Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt noted that, unlike Trump, who has suggested firing striking workers, Harris has actively participated in picket lines and has a sustained record of supporting unions. This, according to Hitt, is why numerous Teamsters locals and the majority of organized labor have endorsed her.
In a historic moment in July, Sean O’Brien became the first Teamsters president to speak at a Republican National Convention. However, his appearance was met with mixed reactions from within the union and from other top Teamsters leaders. Notably, the Democratic Party did not invite O’Brien to speak at their convention last month in Chicago.
