Blue Collar Swings to Trump as Dems Become Party of Elites
The Teamsters’ decision to remain neutral in this election is the clearest sign yet that the Democratic Party’s decades-long lock on blue-collar voters is crumbling.
For the first time since 1996, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union has refused to endorse a candidate for president.
In a statement announcing the decision, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said “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.”
O’Brien added “We strongly encourage all our members to vote in the upcoming election, and to remain engaged in the political process. But this year, no candidate for President has earned the endorsement of the Teamsters’ International Union.”
The decision not to endorse came as a shock to Democrats, who’ve received the unions endorsement almost unchallenged for decades, but less of a shock to anyone paying attention to the rapid shift in blue collar workers to the Republican Party.
A series of straw polls amongst Teamsters members shows just how radically Trump’s rise has pulled traditional blue voting blocs to the right.
The first poll, taken prior to Biden’s announcement to leave the race, showed a comparatively close competition between the President and Trump. Biden garnered around 44% of the vote while Trump got about 36%. Following behind were RFK Jr. and Cornell West at nearly 6% and 2% each.
But once Biden and RFK dropped out of the race, union members moved decisively towards Trump. Two polls found Trump with near 60% support and Harris wallowing in the low 30s. That’s an obscenely high loss for Harris of around 15 points, while Trump gained more than 20 points. It’s clear that Teamsters members are no fans of Kamala Harris.
Now given these numbers, you might ask how it’s possible union leadership didn’t come out with a full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump. While the rank and file are majority Trump supporters, leadership decidedly isn’t.
From that same press release, Teamsters management claimed “The union’s extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump.” Notice the difference in how a potential Harris versus Trump endorsement is framed. Harris didn’t get “majority support,” but Trump didn’t get “universal support.”
At what point could it be said Trump received “universal support?” 75%? 90%? 100%?
Given the plummeting support for Democrats following Biden’s drop out, it seems pretty clear who the members think is better for their interests. At least one member of upper management is friendly to the idea of working more with the new Republican party.
O’Brien appeared at the Republican National Convention at Trump’s personal invitation, and was given the longest speaking time of the first night. "It's an honor to be the first Teamster in our 121 year history to address The Republican National Convention," O’Brien told a gathered crowd of thousands of Republicans.
As Democrats lurched towards the radical leftist elements of coastal elites, O’Brien likely felt he would be better received by a newly NatCon GOP.
He wasn’t wrong.
Democrats didn’t even bother to host him at the DNC, preferring instead to highlight barely disguised political hacks like American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten instead.
The Republican revulsion towards unions comes from the Weingartens of the world, who use their union’s cozy relationships with the Democratic Party to siphon public money into their coffers to then funnel back to Team Blue. I share this revulsion.
But there is something to be proud of when American workers realize their best interests lie with the Republican Party.
Why would a worker decide to go with a party who can’t even make up its mind on whether fracking will be banned or not? That prioritizes importing hordes of illegal migrants that take the very jobs they’re trying to get? That’s so guilty about “stolen native land” they make it the very first thing in their agenda?
It’s clear that the Republican Party has become the party of the working man and that Democrats have become the party of the coastal elites. Though this comes with its own set of risks.
Traditional conservative values, the belief that the free market is better for the working American than a government’s planned economy, must remain at the forefront of any GOP administration. The temptation is great to simply become Democrats lite and replace one party’s patronage with another.
But the advantage is Republicans don’t have to do that to win these voters.
Democrats must buy union votes to avoid blowback for anti-worker policies like mass migration and job destroying climate legislation. Ending the illegal invasion at the southern border and unleashing American energy benefits everyone, not just elites.
The Teamsters’ decision to remain neutral in this election is the clearest sign yet that the Democratic Party’s decades-long lock on blue-collar voters is crumbling. This shift carries both opportunity and caution for the GOP. They must resist giving too much to labor bosses while maintaining a pro-American, pro-growth model.
America’s workers are building a new Republican Party, but it remains to be seen if that’s a good thing.