A longtime Democrat-supporting union, the Teamsters, is now donating to some Republican candidates.
According to a report from Politico, the labor union’s D.R.I.V.E political action committee, which stands for Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education, provided the National Republican Congressional Committee with $5,000 in the second quarter. The Teamsters also gave $62,000 to nearly two-dozen Republican congressional candidates.
The report detailed that the representatives receiving support from the union include:
- Rob Bresnahan, Mike Kelly, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania
- Pete Stauber and Tom Emmer of Minnesota
- Nicole Malliotakis, Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota and Mike Lawler of New York
- Jefferson Shreve of Indiana
- Dave Taylor, Bob Latta, Michael Rulli and Dave Joyce of Ohio
- Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith of New Jersey
- David Rouzer of North Carolina
- Tom Barrett of Michigan
- Blake Moore of Utah
- Darin LaHood and Mike Bost of Illinois
- Troy Nehls of Texas
- Vern Buchanan of Florida
The union also donated to Republican Senators Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Jon Husted of Ohio, and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania.
“Our members are working people whose interests cut across party lines,” Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz told the outlet. “And there’s no value in living in a bubble … where you only talk to certain people to the exclusion of others.”
While Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July 2024, the union declined to endorse a presidential candidate. The development was the first time in 30 years that the union declined to make an endorsement.
According to Teamsters polling data, Donald Trump received the support of 59.6% of the union’s members following the Republican National Convention.
