View Source | October 4, 2024 1:04 pm
he International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) has snubbed the Harris-Walz ticket with a non-endorsement — news which comes after Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) spoke at their event in August.
IAFF President Edward Kelly made the announcement on Thursday following an executive board meeting, where the determination was made.
“Today, the IAFF Executive Board, by a margin of 1.2 percent, voted to not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election,” he announced, noting that IAFF took “unprecedented steps to hear out members’ views on the candidates and the policy issues that matter most to them” over the last year.
“As we have over our 106-year history, the IAFF will continue its work to improve the lives of firefighters and their families,” Kelly continued, contending that the Executive Board determined that “we are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder.”
“This decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity,” he continued, encouraging members to get out and “make their voices heard in the upcoming election.”
This non-endorsement comes as a huge blow to the Harris-Walz ticket; the union endorsed President Biden prior to the 2020 presidential election.