International Association of Fire Fighters vote by a margin of 1.2% to not back either White House candidate
Callum Jones at The Guardian:
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has declined to endorse a candidate ahead of next month’s US presidential election, despite efforts by both the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns to court the union. “This decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity,” the IAFF said in a statement. The union, which has almost 350,000 members, was a key part of the coalition built by Joe Biden – and the first union to back the president’s run for election in 2020. It is the second leading trade union to refrain from endorsing either Harris or Trump as tens of millions of Americans prepare to cast their votes. The Teamsters International, a US transportation workers union that represents more than 1.3 million workers, also announced it would not back a candidate. Both campaigns had sought the IAFF’s support, with Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate, and JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, addressing the union’s convention in August.
The national IAFF narrowly voted to not back either Presidential candidate. Local chapters, however, are likely to mostly endorse Harris.
The IAFF has generally backed the Democratic candidate for President, but didn’t do so in 2016.
