Vice President , Kamala Harris‘s problems with white people were on full screen when a second main union , declined to endorse , her on Thursday.
” Over the past year, the IAFF took extraordinary steps to discover our people ‘ views on the individuals and the policy issues that matter most to them”, the government’s standard leader, Edward Kelly, said in a prepared speech. The IAFF Executive Board concluded that if we, as a coalition, are standing shoulder to shoulder, we are better able to argue for our users and advance on the problems that matter to them.
” Standing shoulder to shoulder” obviously means no backing either applicant, though Kelly said the ballot among the executive committee was near. Both IAFF and the Teamsters had constantly endorsed Democratic prospects dating back to the 1990s, both endorsed President Joe Biden, and both represent a largely white man, non-college-educated labor.
In IAFF’s event, the distinction between 2020 and 2024 is even more dramatic. When Biden announced his election, it was the first union to help him, demonstrating his overwhelming support for his campaign. However, it also declined to support Hillary Clinton in 2016, indicating a specific rift between her and Harris.
” Harris’s lack of support from the IAFF, following the Teamsters’s choice, suggests a broader growing concern for Democrats with coalition support, particularly among non-college-educated light men”, Democratic strategist Tom Cochran said. The fact that both Harris and Clinton failed to win the IAFF’s support and Biden did, raises questions about whether this is more about the group’s wider problems with blue-collar employees than the candidates themselves.
But Cochran, a companion at 720 Techniques, doubted the problem was the candidates ‘ sex, adding,” The bigger problem seems to be a connect between Democrats and organized work”.
Even as Harris ‘ increases with broader demographic groups like ladies and college-educated voters, any decline in union support will be a worrying element for the plan until Election Day.
Although Harris has received the support of the majority of major unions, Biden and Harris are both strong supporters of organized work, and they both enjoyed sharing tales of their” Scranton Joe” upbringing in working-class Pennsylvania. That’s a more challenging network for Harris, a California local whose parents held doctorate degree, to create.
Polling demonstrates that she struggles with pale men in particular. White women still favor Trump by a much smaller margin of 50%-47 %, according to a recent CNN poll, which showed former president Donald Trump in the lead with 58 %-35 %.
Biden and Harris had a significant drop-off according to internal voting by Teamsters. Biden won the election by 9 points over Trump, but after he quit, the government’s members switched to Trump by 25 items over Harris.
The issue for Harris is n’t just with white men, however. Harris led a poll of Hispanic voters by NBC News-Telemundo-CNBC, with all other Latino people under 50 falling behind by 9 points nevertheless.
Dan Bowling, who teaches labor courses at Georgia State University’s law school, said he was n’t surprised at the IAFF snub, and pointed to issues the union had with Democrats that predate the Biden-Harris switch. The coalition pushed up against COVID-19 vaccine mandates first in Biden’s expression, for example.
” A fire, male or female, is a different breed of cat, and they fit right into the pattern that we’ve been noticing of persons with blue-collar work, whether they’re building companies, delivering goods, or fighting burns, relating far more to Trump”, Bowling said.
Bowling cited earlier elections, such as those in 2012, as proof that its members do n’t necessarily care about demographics.
Romney is not a man with grease under his fingernails, Bowling said, putting him in opposition to Trump’s image as a developer who has been spotted working on construction sites.
This cycle, the Trump campaign aggressively appeals to union voters, calling itself the most pro-worker Republican ticket in history.
That’s not to say that all IAFF members are enthusiastic about the GOP ticket.
In late August, vice presidential nominees Sen. J. D. Vance (R-OH) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) each spoke at the IAFF’s convention in Boston. Some of the members booed Vincent and forced him to file a case with them.
” Sounds like we’ve got some fans and some haters”, Vance responded as he appeared onstage. ” That’s OK. Listen to what I have to say here, and I’ll make my pitch”.
Walz, in his appearance, told the group he’s proud to be a” card-carrying” member of his state teachers union and said Harris would help pass the PRO Act, which makes it easier for workers to organize.
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Vance raised more pressing issues, citing a budgetary and pensions strain caused by an inflation and affordability crisis, as well as a rise in illegal immigration and drugs, as evidence of Democratic failures.
” I’m asking you to ignore the campaign rhetoric and look at the record”, he said. This union endorsed a Democrat for president in 2019 with high hopes. But sadly, I believe you’ve been let down”.