Kamala Harris snubbed by another major labor union that was first to back Biden in 2020: Its a big shift
In another blow to Vice President Kamala Harris, the International Association of Fire Fighters announced Thursday that it would not be making a 2024 presidential endorsement. The union, which represents more than 300,000 career firefighters and emergency responders, was the first to endorse President Biden’s 2020 White House bid and has a long history of backing Democratic presidential candidates. IAFF’s decision not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 race comes two weeks after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has also long backed Democrats, defied the will of its pro-Trump membership and declined to make a presidential endorsement. “Today, the IAFF Executive Board, by a margin of 1.2%, voted to not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election,” read a statement from IAFF General President Edward Kelly.“Over the past year, the IAFF took unprecedented steps to hear our members’ views on the candidates and the policy issues that matter most to them. “The IAFF Executive Board determined that we are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder,” he added.
“The decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity.” Rep.Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), the only career firefighter paramedic in Congress and a retired IAFF member, told The Post that the union’s decision not to endorse was a “big deal” and good news for former President Donald Trump. “I’m pretty sure there was a big struggle for some people that wanted to endorse President Trump and some people wanted to endorse Kamala Harris,” he said. “It’s not the same thing that happened four years ago when they were the first union to endorse President Biden,” the congressman noted.
“It’s a big shift in that union not giving an endorsement.” The IAFF backed the Democratic nominee for president in every election ...