The United Auto Workers has endorsed the vice president Kamala Harris On the Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump.
The union’s approval should come as no surprise. The UAW president was Shawn Fain Clearly against Trump. The Detroit union has also historically supported Democrats, including the President Joe Biden.
He comes after Biden withdrew his bid for re-election and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee against Trump.
Fain and Trump clashed – open trading comments — since he was elected head of the union at the beginning of last year. Trump called for Fain’s firing during a speech at the Republican National Convention earlier this month.
The union responded with a post calling out Trump “Katush and the billionaire,” continuing his words, “he is the person he represents. We know which side we are on. Not his.”
Immediately after Biden dropped out, the UAW praised him and showed support for Harris, who took to the picket line with union members during the 2019 strike.
“The path forward is clear: we will defeat Donald Trump and his billionaire agenda and elect a champion for the working class to the highest office in this country,” the union said in a July 21 statement after Biden withdrew from the 2024 race. The statement moved away from formally endorsing Harris.
The UAW endorsement is critical to any candidate seeking to secure a Michigan battleground state because of the UAW’s potential influence. The Detroit-based union has about 370,000 active members and 580,000 retired members, most of whom live in the Midwest.
Michigan voters helped both Biden and Trump win the White House during the last two presidential elections.