{"id":2343753,"date":"2024-09-20T07:26:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T11:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-harris-swap-could-open-up-weakness-in-blue-wall-voting-bloc\/"},"modified":"2024-09-20T07:28:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T11:28:36","slug":"biden-harris-swap-could-open-up-weakness-in-blue-wall-voting-bloc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-harris-swap-could-open-up-weakness-in-blue-wall-voting-bloc\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden-Harris swap could open up weakness in blue wall voting bloc &#8211;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-harris-swap-could-open-up-weakness-in-blue-wall-voting-bloc%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2343753&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u2064 recent swap of \u2063President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris as \u200dthe Democratic candidate has\u200c raised\u2064 concerns about potential vulnerabilities in key &#8220;blue wall&#8221; \u200bstates, typically strongholds for\u200b the \u200dDemocratic Party. A notable shift in support \u2064was highlighted by a Teamsters Union poll indicating \u2063that\u200b former President Donald Trump is leading Harris by nearly two-to-one among its \u200cmembers, marking the \u2063union&#8217;s first non-endorsement for a Democratic presidential\u2062 candidate since \u200d1996. <\/p>\n<p>This\u2064 decline in support may be attributed to workers&#8217; \u2064perceptions of Harris&#8217;s policies, such as her \u200dsupport for a fracking ban, which are seen as\u2062 unfavorable\u200d by \u2064blue-collar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-hits-trump-on-manufacturing-ahead-of-michigan-auto-union-speech\/\" title=\"Biden criticizes Trump&#039;s manufacturing record before Michigan auto union speech.\">noncollege-educated voters<\/a>\u200b in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and\u200d Pennsylvania\u2014states critical for electoral success. While Harris \u200bhas improved in national\u2064 polls\u200c compared to Biden, the traditional union support appears to be eroding, raising alarms within\u2064 the\u200d Democratic camp. <\/p>\n<p>Democratic strategists emphasize the \u2064urgency for Harris to address \u200bissues like inflation that concern\u200d blue-collar workers to regain their backing. Despite\u2062 the challenges, some party members argue Harris could be the best candidate to secure a Democratic win in the upcoming\u200c election. The \u2064overall situation \u2063signals a potential turning point in union support dynamics\u200c for the Democratic Party.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Biden-Harris swap could open up weakness in &lsquo;blue wall&rsquo; voting blocs<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1762091\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Democratic Party\">Democratic Party<\/a>&lsquo;s late-stage candidate swap from President Joe Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris may have opened up new weaknesses in the crucial &ldquo;blue wall&rdquo; states despite Harris&rsquo;s boost in national polling.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/teamsters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Teamsters<\/a> Union caused a stir Wednesday by releasing internal polling that found former President Donald Trump leading Harris <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3158467\/teamsters-members-back-trump-over-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"nearly two-to-one\">nearly two-to-one<\/a> among its members. The union subsequently declined to issue an endorsement, the first time it had not backed the Democratic presidential ticket since 1996.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Rank-and-file union workers like the Teamsters relate to Trump, a builder who has worked with many unions, to a person who has never created working-class jobs,&rdquo; Dan Bowling, who teaches labor courses at Georgia State University, told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>What may be even more worrying for Democrats is the shift in the support after Biden left the race. Rank-and-file Teamsters backed Biden over Trump 44.3% to 36.3%, according to the union&rsquo;s own polling, but two polls taken after Biden dropped out found Trump taking nearly 60% of the vote, with Harris polling in the low 30s.<\/p>\n<p>Among the wider electorate, Harris&rsquo;s numbers are vastly superior to Biden&rsquo;s. She has pulled ahead in national polling averages after he trailed badly for most of the year. But blue-collar, noncollege-educated workers make up a notable voting bloc of the midwestern blue wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, which will be crucial in deciding the election.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s campaign says it is a strong signal for the former president.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Workers know Kamala Harris &mdash; and her support for a fracking ban, electric vehicle mandate, and other Radical Left lunacy &mdash; would be devastating,&rdquo; Trump&rsquo;s campaign said in a Wednesday statement. &ldquo;President Trump has always had the backs of American workers &mdash; and always will.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Teamsters union represents a largely male workforce of truckers, rail workers, and UPS drivers and has a historic independent streak. The group endorsed Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush before turning toward Democrats in the 1990s, and it is the only major non-law enforcement union that has not backed Harris this year.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the news represents a blow to Harris and possibly a turning point in the identity of both major political parties. Trump has heavily courted union voters this cycle, promising that fracking bans and electric vehicle mandates would gut energy jobs in Pennsylvania and wreck the auto industry in Michigan. Trump&rsquo;s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), walked a picket line with the United Auto Workers last year.<\/p>\n<p>According to a new Trump campaign ad, Harris wants to &ldquo;end all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/3-recent-failures-of-green-energy-policies\/\" title=\"3 Recent Failures of Green Energy Policies\">gas-powered cars<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Election2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Election2024<\/a>: &#8220;Kamala Harris wants to end all gas powered cars&hellip;Michigan auto workers are paying the price. Massive layoffs already started. You could be next.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign is up with this new ad in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MIPol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MIPol<\/a>. Future Presidential reservations in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MIPol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MIPol<\/a>:<br \/>&#128309;$56.5m&#128308;$34.0m <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Wxcip9sWp5\">pic.twitter.com\/Wxcip9sWp5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AdImpact Politics (@AdImpact_Pol) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdImpact_Pol\/status\/1836758879058686105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The Harris campaign says union voters will back her, pointing to endorsements from local Teamsters groups and her own history of joining picket lines.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The vice president&rsquo;s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her &mdash; alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor,&rdquo; Harris spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said. &ldquo;As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vp-harris-laughs-when-asked-why-she-hasnt-visited-southern-border\/\" title=\"VP Harris Laughs When Asked Why She Hasn&#039;t Visited Southern Border\">vice president told<\/a> the Teamsters on Monday, when she is elected president, she will look out for the Teamsters rank-and-file no matter what.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A <em>New York Times <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/09\/19\/us\/politics\/times-siena-inquirer-poll-pennsylvania-likely-electorate.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"poll\">poll<\/a> of Pennsylvania voters found that Harris is leading Trump 50% to 46% in the commonwealth. However, Trump led by 13 points with men, and by 27 points with white, noncollege voters. Harris&rsquo;s support had also slipped relative to Biden among Black and Hispanic voters.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic strategist Brad Bannon told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that the Teamsters are an exception to the rule and that most union voters continue to back Harris. Even so, he said blue-collar workers are especially concerned about inflation and need to hear more from her on that topic.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The No. 1 issue in all of those [swing] states is inflation,&rdquo; Bannon said. &ldquo;I would advise the vice president to be very aggressive talking about inflation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>And even if Harris costs Democrats with some union voters, Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) says she is the only person who can win the White House for his party. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If we have a shot to win this election, it&rsquo;s with Kamala Harris,&rdquo; he told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>&ldquo;Fair or not, we were not in a position with President Biden leading the ticket to be able to compete the way we are now.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Kildee stressed that union voters are not monolithic but said the Democratic Party has done more to support them over the years.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Despite the fact that many of the members of that union [the Teamsters] don&rsquo;t vote for Democrats, Democrats didn&rsquo;t say, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re going to let your pension implode,&#8217;&rdquo; Kildee said. &ldquo;We feel like the pension is a promise. When Donald Trump was president, he had four years to fix the problems in those pension systems. He didn&rsquo;t do a thing.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Biden directed $36 billion to a Teamsters pension fund in 2022, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/factchecks\/2022\/dec\/14\/kevin-brady\/bidens-36-billion-to-save-teamsters-fund-from-inso\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"largest\">largest<\/a> private pension bailout in American history.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Republican strategist John Feehery told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that the Teamsters poll represents an opportunity for Republicans, but it will only matter if they can capitalize by turning the support into actual votes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Get them out to vote,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Turnout is key in this election, and we need to make sure we are organized enough to get organized labor out to vote for us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1762091\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1762091\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent decision by the Democratic Party to replace President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris as their candidate may have exposed vulnerabilities in key &#8220;blue wall&#8221; states, even though Harris has seen an increase in national polling. The Teamsters Union stirred controversy on Wednesday by sharing internal polling that indicated former President Donald Trump is leading Harris nearly two-to-one among its members. This led the union to refrain from endorsing a candidate for the first time since 1996. Dan Bowling, a labor studies instructor at Georgia State University, noted that many union workers relate more to Trump, who has experience working with unions as a builder, than to someone who hasn&#8217;t created jobs for the working class.<\/p>\n<p>What could be more concerning for Democrats is the shift in support following Biden&#8217;s exit from the race. Initially, Teamster members favored Biden over Trump 44.3% to 36.3%, but subsequent polls after Biden&#8217;s withdrawal showed Trump capturing nearly 60% of votes while Harris remained in the low 30s. Although Harris&#8217;s overall numbers are better than Biden\u2019s among broader voter demographics\u2014she has gained ground in national averages\u2014blue-collar workers without college degrees represent a significant voting bloc in critical midwestern states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s campaign views this as a strong indicator of support for him among workers. They argue that Harris\u2019s positions on issues like fracking bans and electric vehicle mandates would harm energy jobs and impact industries crucial to these states&#8217; economies.<\/p>\n<p>The Teamsters Union consists mainly of male truckers and rail workers and has historically shown an independent streak; they have previously endorsed Republican candidates before leaning towards Democrats in recent decades but have not supported Harris this election cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this setback for her campaign, supporters argue that she will still garner backing from union voters due to her history of supporting labor rights and endorsements from local Teamsters groups. A New York Times poll indicates she leads Trump by four points among Pennsylvania voters; however, he maintains significant advantages with men and white non-college-educated voters.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic strategist Brad Bannon emphasized that while some union members may lean towards Republicans like Trump due to concerns about inflation\u2014a top issue across swing states\u2014most still favor Democrats overall because they believe those parties better protect their interests.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) expressed confidence that Kamala Harris is essential for winning back the White House despite potential losses with certain union voters: \u201cIf we have a shot at winning this election, it\u2019s with Kamala.\u201d He highlighted how Democrats have historically supported unions compared to Republicans who failed to address pension issues during Trump&#8217;s presidency.<\/p>\n<p>Republican strategist John Feehery acknowledged that while there is an opportunity presented by these polling results within unions like the Teamsters, success hinges on converting this support into actual voter turnout come election day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2343754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Biden-Kamala-Harris-blue-wall-teamsters-union.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3620,34839,4021,32504,36947],"class_list":["post-2343753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-biden","tag-blue-wall","tag-harris","tag-political-strategy","tag-voting-bloc"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Biden-Kamala-Harris-blue-wall-teamsters-union.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2343754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}