Democrats “Lose When They Fail to Prioritize a Strong, Working-Class Message”

Most labor unions in most regions did their best to rally voters to Kamala Harris, and their efforts paid off, at least for their members. Union members voted for the Democratic presidential candidate. A solid margin of 57-39According to exit polls. This is comparable to the union vote for Joe Biden in 2020, a remarkable fact in an election year that saw Democratic support decline among so many demographic groups. “in fact,” noticed politiko“In what is shaping up to be one of the party’s strongest presidential election cycles in recent memory, union voters were one of the few groups that did not show a noticeable shift toward Trump and the Republican Party. ”

Supported by AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, and United Steelworkers. International Society of Machinists. Service Employees International Union. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. American Federation of Teachers. National Education Association. Mr. Harris benefited from dozens of other national and international labor organizations. educational campaign It contrasted her pro-union policies with those of Donald Trump, who has historically been anti-union. When the International Brotherhood of Teamsters was unable to voice support, local councils and local unions across the country voiced strong support for the Democratic candidate and actively spoke on her behalf among Teamsters across the country. We filled that void by organizing.

Unfortunately, while the union vote favored Harris, her campaign lost ground. working class voters People who are not members of a labor union.

Since the election, pundits and strategists have criticized Democrats for failing to reach out to nonunion members on the scale needed.

“It should come as no great surprise that the Democratic Party, which has abandoned working-class people, now realizes that the working class has abandoned them,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). stated. severe reflection About the declining fortunes of the Democratic Party. “First it was the white working class, but now it’s Latinos and black workers. While Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. That’s right.”

Sanders has created dozens of Campaign stopped Across the country this fall, Harris supporters blamed Democratic Party donors and strategists for failing to develop a message that connected with disaffected voters and non-voters. “Will the big interest interests and highly paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” It became clear that Harris had lost and the Democratic Party had lost the Senate. After that he said: “Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do you have any ideas on how we can counter? Probably not.”

Sanders wasn’t the only one to express dissatisfaction. President of the International Union of Painters, one of the nation’s brightest and most outspoken labor leaders. jimmy williams jr. Nothing was held back in the post-election analysis. Williams gained attention earlier this year when he called on the U.S. government to:stop funding genocide” in a speech in Gaza, calling on the Biden administration to immediately halt military aid to Israel. He is not afraid to criticize Democrats when they are on the wrong track on issues or stumble with strategy or messaging.

williams I did just that this week After the election had disastrous results for the Democratic Party.

“This is my take on the election,” Williams said. “I have spent the past few months traveling and speaking to members across the Rust Belt. We have spoken with thousands of IUPAT members and emphasized the importance of this election. It worked. Vice President Harris won a higher percentage of union voters this election than President Biden did in 2020. But she still lost!”