Firefighters’ Union Reveal Stance in 2024 Presidential Race

Neither major candidate for president will receive an endorsement from the International Association of Fire Fighters this year.

On Thursday, the IAFF announced that it would be neutral for the presidential race this year. In doing so, they become the second major union to do this. In the 2020 election, the executive board of the IAFF backed President Joe Biden’s bid for the White House.

This week, though, the union’s president, Edward Kelly, released a statement that said the membership of the union took a vote, and they decided by a margin of 1.2% to endorse neither Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris.

In the statement, Kelly explained the decision by saying:

“Over the past year, the IAFF took unprecedented steps to hear our members’ views on the candidates and the policy issues that matter most to them. As we have over our 106-year history, the IAFF will continue its work to improve the lives of firefighters and their families.

“The IAFF Executive Board determined that we are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder. This decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity.”

Just a few weeks ago, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters also announced that they wouldn’t be supporting either candidate for president this election, either.

That union posted results of internal polling it took on both of the candidates. It showed that members of the union much preferred Trump over Harris, by a margin of 59.6% to 34% through an online survey.

Phone survey results from the Teamsters showed that Trump had a 58% to 31% advantage over Harris.

Yet, the union decided not to move forward with supporting either candidate because a large majority of their members didn’t support one over the other.

When the union announced its decision, it said in a statement:

“The union’s extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump.”

Democrats have traditionally been able to rely on major unions for their support at the polls, especially in presidential elections. 

When speaking at the IAFF’s legislative conference in 2023, for instance, Biden told all the firefighters who were attending:

“I have your back.”

But, they apparently don’t have his hand-picked predecessor’s back in the same way they had his. 

At the same time, these two announcements came from the national unions. There have been several local chapters that have announced they would be supporting Harris for president, falling in line with many unions of the past.

Harris can also count on her side other major groups in organized labor, such as the United Auto Workers. Biden has said on multiple occasions that he believes he’s the most pro-union president ever, and Harris has said she will carry on many of those labor policies from the Biden administration.