Democrats are reportedly afraid that the Teamster Union’s recent refusal to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president may be a warning sign of a victory for former President Donald Trump, according to several pro-Harris union officials and Democrat strategists and allies.
In the aftermath of the Teamster’s Union, which represents over one million union workers, announcing that it would not be endorsing any candidate, despite polling showing that a large portion of its union members support Trump, Democrats are reportedly taking it as a warning sign, according to Politico.
One pro-Harris union official, who spoke to the outlet anonymously explained that it was “hard not to have” flashbacks to when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton underperformed with union members, though she like Harris had been endorsed by several unions.
“Hard not to have HRC flashbacks right now, to be honest, that stuff might be wrong beneath the surface,” the person told the outlet. “I hope it’s not.”
Several union leaders expressed that similarly to the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, Trump has “maintained a grip on key parts of their rank-and-file” despite viewing him as having an “anti-union record”:
The Teamsters withholding an endorsement from Harris this week — after internal polling showed most respondents backing Trump — is sparking fresh concerns that the GOP nominee could have higher-than-expected support among union members, especially men. Labor leaders in other sectors attest that, like in 2016 and 2020, the former president has maintained a grip on key parts of their rank-and-file despite his anti-union record. Privately, Democrats say Harris still have work to do to win over older, white, working-class voters who make up a large portion of the electorate in the Rust Belt and have been hit by high prices.
As Breitbart News has previously reported, “the lack of an endorsement for Harris” is seen as being disastrous as the union has supported to Democrat Party’s presidential candidate since 1996.
Harris has been endorsed by the union representing the postal workers in the United States, and the United Auto Workers union.
Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) have actively tried to gain the support of the working and middle class in the U.S., including labor union members.
One Democratic consultant, Pete Giangreco admitted to the outlet that while Harris was “doing better than most Democrats” have previously done with white women who have not attended college, they were seeing a “step back” in support among white men who did not attend college.
“The good news is that she’s doing better than most Democrats ever have with white non-college women,” Giangreco explained. “But the bad news is that with white non-college men, we’re seeing a step back. The gender gap is growing wider because those groups are heading in two different directions, and how does it net out? We’ve got 47 days to figure that out.”
