Washington (TDI): The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in USA declared that it would not provide a presidential endorsement, dealing a serious setback to the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris to remain in the White House.
General President Edward Kelly said that the union decided “by a margin of 1.2%” not to select a candidate. The organization represents 300,000 career firemen and emergency responders.
“Our togetherness may be best preserved and strengthened by taking this decision, which we considered very seriously,” Kelly stated.
According to Reuters, the Harris campaign, which depends on organized labor to increase her outreach to voters in the working class, especially in the crucial swing states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, was negatively impacted by the move.
The union was the first to support Democratic candidate Joe Biden in his victorious 2019 campaign against Republican incumbent President Donald Trump, which makes it even more noteworthy.
Also read: Joe Biden Discusses His Predictions for US Election
The Trump campaign described it as “another devastating blow to Kamala Harris’ failing campaign,” but the Harris campaign has not yet responded to comments.
One of the biggest unions in the country, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, similarly declared two weeks ago that it would not support a candidate running for president this year.
Local Teamsters, who represent more than a million workers, have given Harris regional endorsements all over the country.
The United Auto Workers (UAW), American Federation of Labor, and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFI-CIO) union federation are among the significant organized labor groups that have endorsed the vice president since she took Biden’s place on the Democratic ticket.
Biden frequently describes himself as the most pro-union president in history, and Harris has promised to continue with many of the same labor measures.
Democrats, academics, and even high-ranking Harris campaign officials have linked the decision not to support Harris to a reluctance to accept women in key leadership positions.
Also read: Harris, Trump to Face Off in Debate with Muted Microphones
In 2015, the union had retracted its endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
In August, the running mates of both presidential candidates—Harris’ Tim Walz and Trump’s JD Vance—made personal pleas to the members of the firefighters union.
Before Biden withdrew from the contest in March, Harris spoke at a separate IAFF legislative conference in Washington, DC.
