Teamsters president says AOC should ‘focus on her job’ in response to no endorsement – Washington Examiner
In a recent exchange, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien responded to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s criticism regarding the Teamsters’ decision not to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Ocasio-Cortez suggested that the Teamsters rely on the Democratic Party during negotiations, while O’Brien countered that the Biden administration had previously sought Teamster input to prevent rail strikes. He emphasized the divide among Teamster members regarding party loyalty, urging Ocasio-Cortez to focus on issues in her district, which leans Republican. Ocasio-Cortez later shared a letter from Teamsters Local Union 202 endorsing Harris to clarify the local union’s stance. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that it would not endorse any presidential candidate, citing that neither Harris nor former President Donald Trump met their needs. O’Brien noted that most of the Teamsters’ members favored Trump over Harris in polling.
Teamsters president says AOC should ‘focus on her job’ in response to no endorsement
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien rebuked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over her criticism for the Teamsters not endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing she has her own problems to deal with.
Ocasio-Cortez claimed that the Teamsters and O’Brien would call on the Democratic Party for help when they needed help “at the negotiating table.” O’Brien, however, argued otherwise, stating President Joe Biden, “along with the former secretary of labor,” had been the ones calling the Teamsters to settle negotiations to prevent potential rail strikes.
“Now she has to remember that there is a clear divide, especially in Teamster members, between the Democrats and the Republicans,” O’Brien said on CNN’s Inside Politics With Dana Bash. “And instead of trying to pick a fight with labor leaders who listen to their members and embrace their members’s opinions, she should maybe get into her district where it voted far Republican, far-right Republican, and maybe find out what the problem is.”
O’Brien added that when he has any problems on a worksite between members, he chooses to address the issue at hand. As such, he suggested the New York congresswoman “may want to focus on her job instead of mine.”
On X, Ocasio-Cortez sought to “set the record straight” and posted a letter from the Teamsters Local Union 202 endorsing the Harris campaign, claiming that it showed the Teamsters in her district support Harris.
The NY-14 Teamsters mentioned here have actually voted overwhelmingly to endorse Harris-Walz.
Just as Teamsters in Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania have, too.
It’s a big thing to be wrong about.
So let’s set the record straight: Teamsters Local 202 are all in for Harris.💪🏽💙 https://t.co/ZYizRdGwIL pic.twitter.com/UBaoPyUrNm
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 19, 2024
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced on Wednesday that it would not offer a presidential endorsement, as neither Harris nor former President Donald Trump could satisfy their needs to warrant an endorsement. When asked about a hypothetical scenario of the Teamsters endorsing Biden if he were still seeking reelection, O’Brien argued that Biden was “the most pro-union president” but that the president was not polling well with his members.
Polling data released by the Teamsters found that a large majority of its members support Trump over Harris, with one electronic member poll giving him a lead of over 15%. Prior to Biden bowing out, a poll showed that Biden was favored over Trump by about 8%.
TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
The Teamsters’s previous history of endorsements include endorsing Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush before sitting out the 1996 election. The group has supported candidates Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in more recent years.
O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in July but was snubbed when he tried to do the same at the Democratic National Convention the next month.
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