At least six major public unions have been spending tens of millions of dollars to promote Democratic candidates ahead of the 2024 election, even despite presidential nominee Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) being historically unpopular with union households.
According to the Daily Caller, data from the watchdog group OpenSecrets reveals that a total of at least $60 million has been funneled to various left-wing political organizations by six unions: the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
Although unions are forbidden from contributing membership dues to federal campaigns, they are allowed to donate membership dues revenue to super PACs and 501(c)(4) organizations, which can still work to promote certain candidates. As such, super PACs in favor of Democrats have benefited the most from public sector union money.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which focus on electing Democrats to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, respectively, received a collective total of about $15 million from public unions.
“Obviously, if you have government employees who are working, you are going to pay them,” said Michael Watson, research director for the Capital Research Center. “If you then, on top of that, enact collective bargaining, their salaries that were paid for with taxpayer money are going to go to the union which is going to do union stuff, part of which is supporting liberal candidates.”
“The double whammy is that those liberal politicians that the union is sending money to support, if they win, are then going to be negotiating with the unions,” he added.
Despite this, the Democratic Party is currently struggling with union support unlike any election in recent history. Although Joe Biden remained popular with union members, Kamala Harris has seen her support with this demographic plummet since she usurped Biden as the nominee in July.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to issue an endorsement for the first time since 1992, after internal polling showed that nearly 60% of Teamsters prefer Trump over Harris. Polling of Teamsters members in eight swing states also shows Trump leading Harris by significant margins. Earlier this month, polling among overall union households showed Harris leading Trump by just 9%, an historic low for a Democratic candidate not seen since the 1990s.
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