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The Teamsters stated that they’re not making a presidential endorsement, leaving social media to call them “bigots” for not backing Kamala Harris.
On Wednesday (September 18), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters declared that they would not endorse the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, for president in the upcoming election. The decision not to endorse her or the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump makes it the first time since 1988 that the union has not made an endorsement of a presidential candidate. The news was not well received on social media, with many calling out the group for not endorsing Harris because she’s a Black & South Asian woman. Former TMZ host Van Lathan drew attention to this in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “So when Joe Biden ran in 2020 the Teamsters endorsed. Biden-Harris was then the most pro-union administration ever, yet support eroded when Harris was top of ticket. What changed, I wonder??”
“Unfortunately, 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,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. The Teamsters would also release internal polling numbers taken when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, showing that 60% favored Trump with 34% favoring Harris. 6% showed support for another candidate.
The decision is surprising as Vice President Harris was the deciding vote for the passing of the 2021 American Rescue Plan which included a package saving the Teamsters’ pension package. Political science professor Chris Towler noted that disparity, writing in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “And miss me with the whole “her policies” shit, just a few months ago the Biden-Harris policy agenda had Teamsters’ support.”
The Teamsters National Black Caucus blasted the move, with President James “Curb” Curbeam questioning O’Brien’s unwillingness to have “hard conversations” and the polling methodology. He then stated that the caucus would do its own organizing supporting Harris. “Any labor leader thinking that Donald Trump is the candidate of choice should turn their union card in,” Curbeam said to CNN. The West Coast Teamsters then announced its endorsement of Harris minutes later,
followed by state Teamsters unions from Pennsylvania. Reactions online were swift, blasting O’Brien and other Teamsters backing Trump, noting O’Brien’s presence as a speaker at the Republican National Convention in August.
Check out more reactions to the Teamsters’ lack of endorsement below.