Vice President Kamala Harris has committed to participate in a roundtable with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, her campaign and the union confirmed Friday, as she continues to court working class voters heading into November’s election.
The Teamsters, a union with 1.3 million members, is among the last major unions to offer an endorsement in the 2024 race with a decision on whether to back either candidate expected after the conventions. Some Democrats have expressed frustration with Sean O’Brien, the union president, who spoke in a primetime slot at the Republican National Convention while seeking a similar role at next week’s Democratic National Convention.
The union is expected to have a presence on stage at the convention, but O’Brien is not expected to speak at the Democratic confab, a source familiar with convention planning said.
Teamsters leadership invited Harris to participate in a roundtable shortly after she became the presumptive Democratic nominee, writing in a letter to her campaign, “Teamster members want to hear your vision on issues that affect their families.”
Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said the vice president “has received and gladly accepted an invitation by IBT leadership to participate in a candidate roundtable to discuss her record of fighting for Teamsters and their families and to highlight her vision for the future. The campaign looks forward to scheduling the roundtable in the near future.”
Kara Deniz, a spokesperson for the union, said the union just received notice Harris has accepted the invitation but a date has yet to be set.
Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden each participated in roundtables with the Teamsters earlier this year.
