The powerful Teamsters union decided not to endorse Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for president, in a huge setback for the Democrat.
The move comes weeks after Teamster boss Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican national convention, and days after Harris met with labor leaders.
A letter from the union’s board of directors shows divisions among members and waning support for the Democrat after Joe Biden stepped down in July.
“President Joe Biden won the support of Teamsters who voted in straw polls at local unions between April and July before he withdrew from the race,” the statement said, citing member polling data. “But in independent electronic and telephone polls from July through September, a majority of voting members twice chose Trump over Harris for a potential Teamsters endorsement.”
“Extensive polling of the union’s membership found that there was no majority support for Vice President Harris and that there was no universal support among members for President Trump.”
That put the leadership of the union, which also includes truck drivers and other professional groups, in the difficult position of having to select a candidate who did not have much support from his own members.
The Teamsters union is not endorsing either candidate, marking a political victory for former President Donald Trump
The union, which is more conservative than many other unions with Democratic ties, has not endorsed a Republican since 1988. It also did not endorse Bill Clinton during his 1996 re-election campaign.
The impactful move comes in an election where Rust Belt battlegrounds are key. Public polls show Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all with strong union memberships, in contention.
It is the only one of the country’s 10 largest unions not to support Harris.
According to union data, 60-34 percent of voters favored Trump over Harris.
Vice President Harris had sought the group’s support, even though the labor leader did not speak at its convention after speaking at Trump’s.
The announcement was the latest union push in a close election. Biden made a point of marching with striking UAW workers earlier this year. And Trump stirred controversy with an approving remark to Elon Musk on the X platform when Musk spoke about firing striking workers.
The Teamsters also criticized both candidates for not pledging to support them on key issues.
“After reviewing six months of national polling and completing nearly a year of roundtable discussions with members of all the major presidential candidates, the union was able to secure few commitments on key Teamster issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, and found no definitive support among members for either party’s nomination,” the union said.
Harris did not speak to reporters when she met with Teamsters leaders a few days ago.
The AFL-CIO, with its 12.5 million workers, endorsed Harris this summer, and the United Auto Workers also supports her.
The announcement came hours after major market news, with the Fed announcing a 50 basis point rate cut, the first rate cut since the start of the pandemic and a drop in inflation.
Before he withdrew, Biden held a 44 percent to 36 percent lead over Harris in Teamsters polls.
A Trump campaign statement treated the non-endorsement as a victory. “While the Teamsters Executive Board has not formally endorsed the White House, the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear: they want President Trump back in the White House! These hardworking men and women are the backbone of America, and President Trump will vigorously defend them when he returns to the White House,” said Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment but called Biden “the most pro-union president ever” and said he was “proud of that title.”