Kamala Harris Is First Democrat in Decades to Not Get Teamsters Endorsement

Kamala Harris is the first Democrat in more than two decades not to secure the Teamsters presidential endorsement, as the union rejected the vice president as well as former President Donald Trump.
The Teamsters, representing more than 1.3 million workers, had consistently endorsed Democratic presidential candidates for more than 20 years. In a statement released on Wednesday, the union said it will not endorse any presidential candidate in the 2024 election, marking the first time since 1996 that it has opted to not back a candidate.
All other major unions have endorsed Harris’ campaign.
The Teamsters post-1996 supported Democratic candidates Al Gore, John Kerry, President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden.
Decades before, the union endorsed the campaigns of Republican former presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
“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 on Wednesday.
O’Brien added that the union wanted both Harris and Trump to commit to not interfering in “critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries” and honor members’ right to strike. Neither candidate made that commitment, he said.
The union still encouraged all members “to vote in the upcoming election, and to remain engaged in the political process,” despite the union’s lack of endorsement.
Newsweek reached out to Harris’ campaign for comment via email on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump’s campaign was quick to highlight that the majority of Teamsters members favored endorsing the former president, according to the union’s polling released on Wednesday.
In an email, the campaign acknowledged the union wasn’t making a formal endorsement, adding that Teamsters polling data from July 14 to September 15 showed 59.6 percent of its rank-and-file members supporting Trump, with 34 percent backing Harris.
Other data from April 9 to July 3 showed Biden leading Trump, 44 percent to 36 percent. The poll did not provide information on survey size or methodology.
“President Trump fights for America’s working men and women. President Trump’s agenda will bring tax relief and reverse the inflation that hurts working families the most,” the campaign said.
In a Fox News interview Wednesday afternoon, Trump said: “The Teamsters carry a lot of weight. The Democrats cannot believe…it was always automatic that Democrats get the Teamsters, and they said we won’t endorse the Democrats this year, so that was an honor for me.”
Harris and Trump have been actively engaging with the Teamsters, highlighting unions’ prominent role in the 2024 election. Union endorsements can influence the voting preferences of millions of members across battleground and swing states.
On Monday, Harris visited the union’s headquarters, while Trump and Biden have participated in roundtables with Teamsters leadership. Biden has called himself the “most pro-union president.”
In a rare appearance, O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in July.
Update 9/18/24, 5:20 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional information and context.
Update 9/18/24, 4:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional information and context.