Firefighters Union Declines to Endorse a Presidential Candidate

Firefighters Union Declines to Endorse a Presidential Candidate

The International Association of Fire Fighters was one of the first unions to endorse Joe Biden in 2020. In 2024, its board voted not to endorse at all.

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By Chris Cameron

A prominent union of firefighters and other emergency workers narrowly voted not to endorse a presidential candidate, the latest union to stay on the sidelines ahead of the election next month.

In a statement on Thursday, Edward Kelly, the head of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said the union’s executive board had voted “by a margin of 1.2 percent to not endorse a candidate.” Mr. Kelly nonetheless urged the union’s members “to get out and make their voices heard in the upcoming election.”

The lack of an endorsement is a blow to the Democratic ticket. The I.A.F.F. was one of the first labor unions to endorse Joseph R. Biden Jr. for president, days after he began his 2020 campaign in April 2019. By the time Vice President Kamala Harris took over the top of the ticket this year, both the Harris and Trump campaigns were still pushing to earn the union’s support.

Both vice-presidential candidates, Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, had pitched for the union's endorsement at dueling appearances in August during a gathering of the union’s members in Boston. Both candidates played up their campaigns as the more pro-labor choice, and both were at times applauded by union members.

“I’ve often had people tell me, ‘look, I’m really not into politics,’” Mr. Walz said to the union. “My response to that is ‘too damn bad, politics is into you.’ If you’re not here advocating for the messages, it’s hard to get it done.”

Mr. Vance was booed when he described himself and former President Donald J. Trump as “the most pro-worker Republican ticket in history.” Mr. Vance acknowledged the hecklers during his speech and pledged to the audience that a second Trump administration would support the firefighters union no matter who they backed in the coming election.

“Whether you ultimately endorse us or not,” Mr. Vance said, “President Trump and I believe in our firefighters, we believe in our first responders, and we will never stop fighting for you. I am rooting for you, I am proud of you, I am thankful for you.”