Teamsters make large donations to GOP as Dems desert working class

The Teamsters labor union continues to throw money behind Republicans as the union president has said that the Democrats have forgotten the working class. The Teamsters Union has donated primarily to Democrats for nearly two decades before shifting support to the GOP in the 2024 election cycle.  

According to financial data, the Teamsters' political PAC, known as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters' Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education (DRIVE), has distributed approximately $70,000 to Republicans this year. The donations follow union president Sean O'Brien's speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last year, where he spoke about how the union was not beholden to any political party.  

During the 2025 second fundraising quarter, the Teamsters' PAC doled out $5,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and a combined $62,000 to 22 House Republicans, including New York Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, and New Jersey Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith, the Daily Caller reported. 

"Our members are working people whose interests cut across party lines," Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz told Politico. "And there's no value of living in a bubble ... where you only talk to certain people to the exclusion of others." 

O'Brien, who has become a harsh critic of the Democratic Party despite former President Joe Biden’s claims that he was the "most pro-union president" in US history, appeared last week on Free Press journalist Bari Weiss' podcast to discuss the Teamsters' shift to the GOP. 

"Where the Democrats lost...they fell in love with their captors. They fell in love with big money. They fell in love with big tech. And they forgot who they're truly representing: working people. You know why? Because they're not in their communities, not in their neighborhoods. They're not talking to the people that they're paid to represent," said O'Brien. 

"Look, this whole election for the Democrats was based on social justice issues, right?" he added. "And it seemed like this narrative of the social justice issues, it didn't identify with our members. Our members identify with more money in their pockets, more job protection, better pensions." 

Last November, the Trump campaign successfully pursued the labor vote, winning a majority of non-college-educated voters of all racial backgrounds and those making less than $50,000 per year. Republican strategists are trying to keep their new working-class voter demographic as the nation heads into midterms. 

Despite O'Brien being the first Teamsters Union president to speak at the 2024 RNC, the Teamsters Union declined to issue an official endorsement for the 2024 presidential election cycle. 

Democrats are attempting to win back the voting bloc, throwing millions of dollars toward labor unions. The Teamsters Union has not fully abandoned the Democratic Party, as records show that the DRIVE PAC contributed $200,000 to the Democratic Attorneys General Association and $100,000 to the Democratic Governors Association during the second fundraising quarter.