Teamsters union leaders support Republicans despite members endorsing Democratic candidates
Sean O’Brien, president of the 1.3-million strong union, was also the first to speak at the Republican national convention in 2o24 The powerful Teamsters union is backing Republican candidates in the 2026 election cycle even after members have voted to support their Democrat opponents. The 1.3 million- strong union’s president, Sean O’Brien, angered many members and union leaders in 2024 when he…
The powerful Teamsters union, led by President Sean O’Brien, is backing Republican candidates in the 2026 election cycle despite the fact that 1.3 million members of the union voted to support their Democratic opponents. This move has further heightened tensions within the union. John Palmer, an at-large vice president on the Teamsters executive board, criticized O’Brien's 2024 appearance at the Republican national convention, stating that the Republicans are hostile towards the union.
Despite this, O’Brien has made two $1,000 donations to Republican candidates – one to Scott Brown in New Hampshire and another to Markwayne Mullin, who later became Trump's secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Teamsters have also endorsed a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Pennsylvania, despite their local members' endorsement of a different Republican candidate.
Furthermore, the union's endorsements have been inconsistent, with some Teamsters locals endorsing Democratic candidates while the national union has declined to make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential election.
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