Ex-Teamsters Prez Blasts Successor for Not Endorsing Kamala Harris

James P. Hoffa, the former general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, on Thursday night put out a blistering statement criticizing his successor, Sean O’Brien, for the union’s choice not to endorse a presidential candidate this election cycle. Hoffa, the son of the legendary labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, called the decision “a critical error” and “a failure of leadership” on O’Brien’s part. “There is only one candidate in this race that has supported working families and unions throughout their career, and that is Vice President Kamala Harris,” he said. Hoffa, whose final term ended in 2022 after a nearly 24-year run as Teamsters president, said that O’Brien had “undermined” the Harris-Walz campaign with the non-endorsement by choosing “to take a seat on the sidelines.” The Teamsters had earlier in the day cited deep political fissures among its membership of 1.3 million workers in explaining the decision, adding that neither Harris nor former President Donald Trump had been “able to make serious commitments to our union.” In the hours since the announcement, Teamsters regional councils across the country have rushed to issue their own endorsements for Harris.