{"id":2350955,"date":"2024-10-04T18:43:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T22:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/firefighters-nonendorsement-latest-example-of-harris-struggle-with-white-men-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-04T18:45:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T22:45:23","slug":"firefighters-nonendorsement-latest-example-of-harris-struggle-with-white-men-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/firefighters-nonendorsement-latest-example-of-harris-struggle-with-white-men-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefighters nonendorsement latest example of Harris struggle with white men &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/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%2Ffirefighters-nonendorsement-latest-example-of-harris-struggle-with-white-men-washington-examiner%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=2350955&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 International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) recently decided not to endorse either presidential candidate for the upcoming \u2063election, reflecting \u2063a significant\u2063 shift from their past Democratic support, \u2064including the endorsement of President Biden in 2020. This non-endorsement, which follows a \u200dsimilar decision by the Teamsters, highlights challenges for Vice President Kamala Harris, especially regarding her appeal among white male workers. Despite\u200c Biden and Harris\u2019s strong \u200bpro-labor stances, Harris seems to struggle to connect with\u200d this demographic, which has shown\u2064 preference for former President Trump, as indicated\u200b by polling.<\/p>\n<p>Political strategist Tom Cochran \u2062notes\u2062 that the failure of Harris and previous candidates to secure union\u200d support may stem from broader issues within the Democratic Party&#8217;s relationship with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nbc-poll-shows-gop-becoming-party-of-blue-collar-workers\/\" title=\"NBC Poll Shows GOP Becoming Party Of Blue-Collar Workers\">blue-collar voters<\/a>. Moreover, internal Teamsters polling has shown a dramatic shift from Biden to Trump among its members once Biden exited the race.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts suggest that cultural connections may play a role, with Harris lacking the \u2063working-class narrative that Biden, known for his &#8220;Scranton Joe&#8221; \u200croots, easily conveys. The IAFF&#8217;s decision\u200b not to endorse reflects members\u2019 concerns that stem back to\u2064 previous issues with Democratic\u200d policies, such as\u2062 resistance to vaccine mandates. Nevertheless, not all IAFF members support Trump, indicating a \u200bcomplex and varied sentiment within\u200c the union membership regarding party allegiance this\u2063 election cycle.  <\/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\">Firefighters nonendorsement latest example of Harris struggle with white men<\/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_1769538\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Vice President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kamala Harris<\/a>&lsquo;s struggles with white men were on full display when a second major union&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3176231\/international-association-firefighters-votes-not-endorse-candidate-presidential-election\/&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1728071504366696&amp;usg=AOvVaw3TAzhllDkHZlKYr5sfMcrY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declined to endorse<\/a>&nbsp;her on Thursday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The International Association of Fire Fighters has joined the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3158467\/teamsters-members-back-trump-over-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"holding out\">declining to<\/a> make a presidential endorsement this election season. Perhaps most worryingly for Harris, both cited feedback from rank-and-file members as the reason behind their decisions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Over the past year, the IAFF took unprecedented steps to hear our members&rsquo; views on the candidates and the policy issues that matter most to them,&rdquo; the union&rsquo;s general president, Edward Kelly, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IAFFofficial\/status\/1841911386563129658?_nlid=3dWAfwPvag&amp;_nhids=PJXQFNm9yM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said\">said<\/a> in a prepared statement. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A statement from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IAFFPresident?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@IAFFPresident<\/a> following today&#8217;s IAFF Executive Board meeting <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D6K6eQFrF7\">pic.twitter.com\/D6K6eQFrF7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; International Association of Fire Fighters (@IAFFofficial) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IAFFofficial\/status\/1841911386563129658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 3, 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> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Standing shoulder to shoulder&rdquo; apparently means not backing either candidate, though Kelly said the vote among the executive board was close. Both IAFF and the Teamsters had consistently endorsed Democratic candidates dating back to the 1990s, both endorsed President Joe Biden, and both represent a largely white male, non-college-educated workforce.<\/p>\n<p>In IAFF&rsquo;s case, the contrast between 2020 and 2024 is even more stark. It was the very first union to endorse Biden when he announced his candidacy, showcasing enthusiastic support for his bid. But it also declined to endorse Hillary Clinton in 2016, indicating a particular weakness she and Harris have with its membership.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Harris&rsquo;s lack of endorsement from the IAFF, following the Teamsters&rsquo;s decision, suggests a broader growing issue for Democrats with union support, especially among non<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ann-coulter-the-message-in-the-polls-trumps-done\/\" title=\"Ann Coulter: The Message in the Polls: Trump\u2019s Done\">-college-educated white men<\/a>,&rdquo; Democratic strategist Tom Cochran said. &ldquo;The fact that both Harris and Clinton failed to secure the IAFF&rsquo;s backing while Biden did raises questions about whether this is more about the party&rsquo;s broader struggles with blue-collar workers than the candidates themselves.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But Cochran, a partner at 720 Strategies, doubted the problem was the candidates&rsquo; gender, adding, &ldquo;The bigger issue seems to be a disconnect between Democrats and organized labor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Any slippage in union support will be a worrying factor for the Harris campaign through Election Day, even as she gains with broader demographic groups such as women and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pennsylvania-democrats-veer-hard-left\/\" title=\"Pennsylvania Democrats Veer Hard Left\">college-educated voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Biden and Harris are both strong backers of organized labor, and Harris has received the support of most major unions, but Biden brought decades of experience with the groups and loved to share stories of his &ldquo;Scranton Joe&rdquo; upbringing in working-class Pennsylvania. That&rsquo;s a more difficult connection for Harris, a California native whose parents held doctorate degrees, to make. <\/p>\n<p>Polling bears out that she struggles in particular with white men. A recent CNN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/24\/politics\/polls-trump-harris-presidential-election\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"poll\">poll<\/a> found former President Donald Trump leading with that group, 58%-35%, while white women still favor Trump but by a much smaller margin of 50%-47%.<\/p>\n<p>Teamsters internal polling found a huge drop-off from Biden to Harris. The union&rsquo;s membership preferred Biden over Trump by 9 points, but after he quit the race they went for Trump by 25 points over Harris.<\/p>\n<p>The issue for Harris isn&rsquo;t just with white men, however. An NBC News-Telemundo-CNBC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25177909-nbc-news-telemundo-cnbc-latino-voter-poll-topline-results-september-17-23-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"poll\">poll<\/a> of Hispanic voters found Harris leading with the demographic overall by 9 points but trailing with working-class Latino men and with all Latino men under 50.<\/p>\n<p>Dan Bowling, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-lean-on-labor-leaders-to-beat-back-union-shift-to-trump-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Democrats lean on labor leaders to beat back union shift to Trump - Washington Examiner\">teaches labor courses<\/a> at Georgia State University&rsquo;s law school, said he wasn&rsquo;t surprised at the IAFF snub, and pointed to issues the union had with Democrats that predate the Biden-Harris switch. The union <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iaff.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/IAFF-Statement-on-COVID-19-Vaccines.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"pushed back\">pushed back<\/a> against COVID-19 vaccine mandates early in Biden&rsquo;s term, for example. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A firefighter, male or female, is a different breed of cat, and they fit right into the trend that we&rsquo;ve been noticing of people with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tom-cotton-marks-20-years-of-chinas-great-hollowing-of-u-s-industrial-base-economy-and-working-class\/\" title=\"Tom Cotton Marks 20 Years of China&#039;s &#039;Great Hollowing&#039; of U.S. &#039;Industrial Base, Economy, and Working Class&#039;\">blue-collar jobs<\/a>, whether they&rsquo;re building factories, delivering goods, or fighting fires, relating far more to Trump,&rdquo; Bowling said.<\/p>\n<p>Bowling mentioned previous elections such as 2012, when the IAFF endorsed President Barack Obama over GOP challenger Mitt Romney, as evidence its members are not necessarily looking at demographics.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Romney is not a guy with grease under his fingernails,&rdquo; Bowling said, contrasting him with Trump&rsquo;s image as a developer who has been photographed wearing a hard hat at construction sites.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign is aggressively courting union voters this cycle, calling itself the most pro-worker Republican ticket in history. <\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s not to say all IAFF members are on board for the GOP ticket. <\/p>\n<p>In late August, vice presidential nominees Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) each spoke at the IAFF&rsquo;s convention in Boston. Vance was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3138012\/vance-trump-skeptics-boston-union-event\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"booed\">booed<\/a> by some of the members and had to plead his case with them. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Sounds like we&rsquo;ve got some fans and some haters,&rdquo; Vance responded as he appeared onstage. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s OK. Listen to what I have to say here, and I&rsquo;ll make my pitch.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Walz, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3137255\/vance-boston-firefighters-convention-walz-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"his appearance\">his appearance<\/a>, told the group he&rsquo;s proud to be a &ldquo;card-carrying&rdquo; member of his state teachers union and said Harris would help pass the PRO Act, which makes it easier for workers to organize. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vance brought up larger issues, citing an inflation and affordability crisis that has strained budgets and pensions, in addition to an influx of illegal immigration and drugs he said have burdened first responders like firefighters and EMTs, as evidence of Democratic failures. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m asking you to ignore the campaign rhetoric and look at the record,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In 2019, this union endorsed a Democrat for president with high hopes. But sadly, I believe you&rsquo;ve been let down.&rdquo;<\/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_1769538\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1769538\"}});<\/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>Firefighters&#8217; nonendorsement highlights Harris&#8217;s issues with white men<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2350956,"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\/10\/harris-white-men.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3907,4021,42383,32076,42384],"class_list":["post-2350955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-firefighters","tag-harris","tag-nonendorsement","tag-washington-examiner","tag-white-men"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/harris-white-men.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350955","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=2350955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2350956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2350955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2350955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2350955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}