Teamsters Union Declines to Endorse Harris or Trump in Upcoming US Election

Influential union backed every Democratic presidential candidate since 2000, but declines to make endorsement this year.

Teamsters President Sean O'Brien has riled Democrats and teased Republicans in recent months.             Getty Image

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of America's most influential labor unions, has declined to endorse a U.S. presidential candidate for the first time since 1996. With 1.3 million members across the U.S. and Canada, the union stated it received "few commitments on top Teamsters issues" from either Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Republican nominee Donald Trump. 

FOR MORE NEWS: CLICK HARE

Polling of rank-and-file members showed "no definitive support" for either candidate, though recent surveys indicated strong backing for Trump. The lack of endorsement is a significant setback for Harris, who has been working to win over working-class voters with less than 50 days until election night. An endorsement could have mobilized thousands of Teamsters in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Following the union’s decision, several Teamsters regional councils in Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and California announced their endorsements of Harris. The Harris campaign emphasized its broad support from organized labor and noted that many Teamsters locals back her candidacy. Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt contrasted Harris’s support for labor with Trump’s stance, citing his comments about firing striking workers.

The union's membership, which includes freight drivers, warehouse workers, and airline pilots, is known for its political diversity. Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien, who took office in 2022, has been working to build connections with Republicans, including figures like Senators Josh Hawley and J.D. Vance, now Trump’s running mate. O'Brien also met privately with Trump and other political figures, including President Joe Biden before his withdrawal and third-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West.

The union caused further controversy among Democrats by contributing $45,000 each to both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, a first in years. O'Brien also became the first Teamsters president to speak at the Republican National Convention, where he praised Trump but stopped short of endorsing him.

Some Teamsters members, including the Teamsters National Black Caucus and several union locals, have criticized O'Brien’s outreach to Republicans and endorsed Harris independently. Harris met with the Teamsters board recently in a tense roundtable, but O'Brien later remarked that there was little difference between her and Biden's responses on union issues.

Despite President Biden’s strong labor record, which includes securing the Teamsters pension fund and joining striking workers on a picket line, the union had shown hesitation in supporting his re-election before his withdrawal. 

Recent Teamsters polling data showed significant internal division: a post-RNC survey found 59.6% support for endorsing Trump versus 34% for Harris, though the union maintains there was no majority support for either candidate. The Trump campaign seized on these results, highlighting them as evidence of strong backing from rank-and-file Teamsters.