Union announces official decision to support on Wednesday
Press contact: Kara Deniz Email: [email protected]
(WASHINGTON) — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters today released six months of member polling data on the union’s potential choice for the next U.S. president. It found that both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden narrowly ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in key polls of Teamster voters commissioned by the union.
The Teamsters have not yet nominated a candidate for U.S. president. The union’s executive board is expected to announce a decision on Wednesday.
“Last year, the Teamsters Union committed to conducting the most comprehensive, democratic and transparent presidential confirmation process in the history of our 121-year-old organization – and today we are making good on that promise to our members,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions must be at the forefront of everything the Teamsters do. Our final decision regarding a potential presidential confirmation will not be an easy one, but you can be assured it will be directly influenced by our diverse membership.”
From April 9 to July 3, nearly 300 Teamsters local unions nationwide held first-of-their-kind town hall meetings to survey members’ support preferences through mock ballots. The in-person voting took place before Biden withdrew from the race. Teamsters polling data shows members supporting Biden 44.3 percent and Trump 36.3 percent.
Following the Republican National Convention and Biden’s exit from the campaign, the Teamsters commissioned a nationwide electronic poll of its 1.3 million members, monitored by an independent third party. During the voting period from July 24 to September 15, 59.6 percent of rank-and-file Teamsters members voted for Trump, compared to 34 percent for Harris.
Last week, after the Democratic National Convention and the recent presidential debate, the Teamsters commissioned independent polling firm Lake Research Partners to conduct the union’s latest national poll. In the poll, which ended Sept. 15, the Teamsters favored Trump by 58 percent, while the majority of votes went to Harris at 31 percent.
The Teamsters board of directors is meeting in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to review the poll results. A decision on endorsement is expected soon. Facebook.com/teamsters.
