In break with tradition, the Teamsters will not endorse a presidential candidate

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is not endorsing a candidate for president, in a move that breaks with decades of Teamsters precedent and sets them apart from other major labor unions.

"After reviewing six months of nationwide member polling and wrapping up nearly a year of rank-and-file roundtable interviews with all major candidates for the presidency, the union was left with few commitments on top Teamsters issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and found no definitive support among members for either party’s nominee," the Teamsters executive board announced Wednesday.

The decision comes two days after Vice President Kamala Harris met with Teamsters leadership for a roundtable discussion, and hours after the union released an internal, electronic poll that showed nearly 60% of members wanted leadership to back Trump. An internal poll conducted by phone showed 58% of members supported Trump, compared to 31 backing Harris.

The decision puts the Teamsters, with more than 1 million members nationwide, out of step with other major labor groups that have thrown their support behind Harris, including the United Auto Workers, the AFL-CIO, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, and the Culinary Union in Nevada.

Teamsters President Sean O'Brien has stressed that this year's endorsement process included hundreds of small meetings at Teamsters locals across the country. Additionally, union members were encouraged to weigh in with their opinion on who to endorse by using a bar-code and their smart-phone.

Union workers have been a key demographic for both Democrats and Republicans in this election, given their outsize influence in key states