International Brotherhood Of Teamsters Refuses To Endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, First Dem Candidate To Not Get Endorsement In Decades

On Wednesday, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the largest unions in the country, announced that it would not be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential race. This is the first time the organization hasn't endorsed a candidate since 1996. The lack of endorsement comes after most union members supported President Trump in polling. President Trump met with the Teamsters Union earlier this year to hear their concerns and lobby for its endorsement.

Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, explained that "neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business. We sought commitments from Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries — and to honor our members' right to strike — but were unable to secure those pledges."

While the Teamsters leadership was unsatisfied with both candidates' answers, the rank-and-file members were more willing to pick a side. According to an electronic member poll conducted by the organization from July 24-September 15, 59.6 percent of their membership preferred President Trump, while 34 percent preferred Vice President Harris, with 6.4 percent wanting another candidate. A phone poll taken from September 9-15 found similar findings, with 58 percent preferring Trump, 31 percent preferring Harris, six percent remaining undecided, and five percent saying they didn't know who they would vote for.

"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 that promise to our members," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions must be at the forefront of everything the Teamsters do. Our final decision around a possible Presidential endorsement will not be made lightly, but you can be sure it will be driven directly by our diverse membership."

The Teamsters endorsed President Biden in the 2020 race but have endorsed Republicans in the past, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. O'Brien's appearance at the Republican National Convention in July and a closed-door meeting he had with Trump at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year sparked speculation that the organization would endorse the GOP nominee. In addition to O'Brien's coziness with Trump, the Teamsters made a $45,000 donation on January 25 to the Republican National Committee convention fund.

According to The Hill, the organization waited far longer to announce its decision on an endorsement than any of America's other major unions, which all threw their support behind Harris, including the United Auto Workers, National Education Association, Service Employees International Union, and AFL-CIO.

You can follow Sterling on X/Twitter here.