The International Association of Fire Fighters, representing over 350,000 emergency workers, announced that they will not be endorsing a candidate for president this year. This decision is a departure from their 2020 endorsement of Joe Biden, which was the first of its kind. The union cited a desire to maintain unity and better advocate for their members as the reason for not endorsing. Both presidential campaigns made efforts to appeal to the union’s members, with Kamala Harris speaking at an event in March. In response, Donald Trump criticized the union’s leadership for supporting Democrats. The Teamsters union also declined to endorse a candidate, with a survey showing majority member support for Trump over Harris. Despite this, other major unions like the AFL-CIO and United Auto Workers have endorsed Harris. At a recent convention, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance made pitches to the union’s members, with Vance receiving boos when speaking in support of Trump. He attributed his change in support to his firefighter friend’s influence. Walz emphasized the importance of unions and pledged support for the PRO Act, which Harris would sign into law if elected. The lack of an endorsement from the firefighters’ union reflects the political diversity and complexity within organized labor in the United States.
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Firefighters union chooses not to endorse a presidential candidate
