All eyes were on the Teamsters Union over their potential endorsement of either presidential candidate. And it now turns out that the storied union will not endorse either presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
Interestingly, a poll carried out by the Teamsters found that a strong majority of Teamsters members support the presidential candidacy of former President Donald Trump. The Teamsters’ General President Sean O’Brien said earlier in the week the polling of its members was taken into account in its decision to not endorse any of the presidential candidates.
Trump still leads Vice President Kamala Harris on a roughly two-to-one margin among Teamsters members, per polling data the union disseminated on September 18
Nearly 60% of members who were polled signaled they backed Trump. By contrast, 34% of members indicated that they were in favor of Harris. A similar poll had Trump enjoying a 58% to 31% advantage of Teamsters members.
“Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions must be at the forefront of everything the Teamsters do,” O’Brien stated in a press release. “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.”
This shift in Teamsters support shows that many labor unions, especially their rank-and-file members, are having cold feet about voting for Harris. By contrast, when sitting President Joe Biden was running for election, he enjoyed the support of 46% of Teamster members, while only 37% and 5% of Teamsters members supported Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., respectively.
Blue-collar unions have every reason to be skeptical of Harris. She supports mass migration which reduces unions’ bargaining power because of the influx of cheap labor. On top of that, many everyday union members hold socially moderate views and are not down with wokism.
Overall, the poll numbers from Teamsters’ members serve as a proxy for white working class vote. This is the key constituency that will deliver Trump victories in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. To activate this voting block, Trump will need to double down immigration restriction measures, tough-on crime policies, economic nationalism, and a strong push back against the anti-white hate complex.