This woman is just terrible. Kamala Harris failed to secure the endorsement of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union representing 300,000 of these first responders who quickly endorsed Joe Biden in his 2020 bid. Almost 60 percent of its members are voting for Donald Trump. She also could not clinch the endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters, a union representing 300,000 of these first responders.
The latter was a move that blindsided her campaign, demonstrated by the rally location, a firehouse, which her campaign chose in anticipation of the IAFF’s blessing. It never came. The consolation prize for Kamala’s team was the endorsement from the local Michigan chapter. That, too, was rejected (via Politico):
The Michigan firefighters union won’t break ranks with its federal organization to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, despite hopes from her campaign officials that she could still land the critical swing state union’s backing.
After 10 days of discussion, the Michigan firefighters union ultimately decided to stick with the International Association of Fire Fighters nonendorsement on Oct. 3. That original decision blindsided Harris campaign officials who thought they were close to clinching the coveted support.
“We are following the IAFF recommendation on the presidential election,” Matt Sahr, who heads the Michigan firefighters union, told POLITICO. “However, we have made it clear to our members that our executive board believes Harris is the best choice for supporting our labor issues.”
The Michigan firefighter union board recently sent a letter to their members saying it believes Harris is the best choice for president.
Harris campaign officials, including some who privately said they felt firefighter union leaders misled them during the initial process, have been closely watching swing state-level unions with the hope that at least a few will come out publicly to back her. But Harris and her running mate Tim Walz are struggling to win over some key rank-and-file union members, especially from industrial, male-heavy groups — part of a major political realignment away from the Democratic Party.
During an internal virtual call last week, IAFF General President Edward Kelly asked state firefighter unions to not issue any of their own presidential endorsements, according to three people familiar with the call who were granted anonymity to discuss the matter. Kelly said other battleground states rolling out their own endorsements could ultimately hurt Harris, given Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona could all come out against Harris in response.
Adios Michigan.
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) October 15, 2024
She doesn’t have the rank-and-file of the UAW, either. https://t.co/CeH0wIntMf
Man, what a mess. Kamala Harris is projected to be the worst-performing Democrat among union and working-class voters. They know she’s awful. Even the United Auto Workers Union’s rank-and-file will vote for Trump despite its front office endorsing Joe Biden and now Kamala Harris. Its president, Shawn Fain, admitted this earlier this year.
The election remains tight, but this is good news as we enter the final weeks. There’s also no time for Kamala to draft a resonant economic message, explain how she’d be different from Biden, and regain ground among black, Latino, Jewish, and working-class voters.
Meanwhile, Trump should keep doing what he’s doing: stay on message, hold rallies, bash Kamala, and keep that mindset that this is a very close race.
