Kamala needs as much help as she can get. But it’s just not coming.
And now Vice President Harris lost a key endorsement and her campaign may never recover.
In a significant setback for Vice President Kamala Harris, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) announced Thursday that it will not be endorsing any candidate for the 2024 presidential race.
This decision is particularly striking given the union’s history of backing Democratic candidates, including its early endorsement of Joe Biden in 2020.
Representing over 300,000 career firefighters and emergency responders, the IAFF’s refusal to support Harris comes on the heels of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters also declining to endorse a Democrat.
The trend is becoming clear: unions that once stood firmly behind the Democratic Party are now backing away from Harris and her failing campaign.
IAFF General President Edward Kelly acknowledged the union’s tough decision in a statement: “Today, the IAFF Executive Board, by a margin of 1.2%, voted to not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.”
The union, which took extensive steps to gather its members’ opinions on candidates and key policy issues, ultimately decided that remaining neutral was the best way to preserve its unity.
For Harris, this is another blow in an election where unions, traditionally her base of support, are showing signs of dissatisfaction with her leadership and policies.
Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), a former firefighter and IAFF member, emphasized the gravity of the decision, calling it a “big deal” and noting how it benefits Donald Trump.
“I’m pretty sure there was a big struggle for some people that wanted to endorse President Trump and some people wanted to endorse Kamala Harris,” he said.
What a difference from four years ago when the IAFF was among the first to throw its support behind Biden.
Now, Harris can’t even secure the same level of backing, signaling a major shift within the union that once stood as a pillar for Democratic candidates.
Gimenez, who served in the Miami Fire Department for 25 years, highlighted Trump’s appeal to working-class Americans, including firefighters.
“I think the majority of the membership wanted to endorse President Trump,” he said, pointing out that this is the second major union to withhold its endorsement from the Democratic nominee in this cycle.
Why are these unions turning their backs on Harris? According to Gimenez, the answer is simple: Trump’s policies resonate more with everyday Americans, including firefighters.
Trump’s focus on restoring jobs, bringing back American manufacturing, and bolstering national security speaks to the concerns of working men and women.
Meanwhile, Harris’s extreme Left policies, such as failing to secure the border and supporting bail for criminals involved in riots, are completely out of touch with the values of firefighters and other public safety personnel.
Gimenez didn’t mince words when discussing the impact of Harris’s economic policies on firefighters.
“Record inflation, you know, firefighters, they’re middle-class folks, and this record inflation, especially with groceries and energy prices, that affects firefighters and the families of firefighters much more so than the elites that Kamala Harris is appealing to.”
The Trump campaign quickly seized on the IAFF’s non-endorsement, labeling it “another devastating blow to Kamala Harris’ failing campaign.”
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt didn’t hold back in her critique of Harris, stating, “Hardworking Americans including Teamsters, firefighters, Border Patrol Agents, law enforcement officers, teachers, small business owners, moms and dads are sick and tired from the inflation, border crisis, and chaos caused by Kamala’s incompetence and terrible policies.”
As Harris continues to struggle with her base, it’s becoming clear that Trump’s message of economic relief, national security, and public safety is resonating with the very groups that Harris and the Democrats once counted on.
For the vice president, this latest union defection is just another sign of a campaign that’s losing steam.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
