NEW: Major Labor Union Donates To GOP After Decades Of Funding Democrats

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters labor union is donating to Republican candidates in battleground races, signaling a further pivot towards the GOP after the union made the unprecedented decision to withhold its endorsement from Vice President Kamala Harris back in November.

The union — which boasts 1.4 million members nationwide — has donated to the Republicans’ House campaign arm after nearly two decades of backing Democrats. The labor union’s D.R.I.V.E political action committee — short for Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education — gave the National Republican Congressional Committee $5,000 in the second quarter of 2025, according to a report from Politico.

In addition to donating to the NRCC, the Teamsters have shelled out a combined $62,000 in contributions to some of the most vulnerable House Republicans running for re-election in 2026. This includes Reps. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and more than a dozen others.

The PAC has also donated to a handful of Republican senators this quarter, including Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jon Husted (R-OH) and Dave McCormick (R-PA). Outside congressional races, D.R.I.V.E also donated $50,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association this past June.

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

The Teamsters have not completely abandoned Democrats, as union President Sean O’Brien has long stated that the group will work with any lawmakers who advance union interests. In total, the union’s PAC still donates more to Democrats, though the gap is shortening as O’Brien continues with his theme of reaching out across typical union-aligned voting blocs.

While major labor unions have historically supported Democrats, a number of the nation’s most prominent organized labor groups have praised a number of President Donald Trump’s policies, particularly on tariffs. The United Auto Workers Union (UAW) has enthusiastically endorsed the president’s tariffs on foreign vehicle imports, which has already led to an increase in U.S.-based manufacturing from several foreign automakers.

“We applaud the Trump administration for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working class communities for decades. Ending the race to the bottom in the auto industry starts with fixing our broken trade deals, and the Trump administration has made history with today’s actions,” UAW President Shawn Fain said back in April.

The Teamsters have also praised a number of Trump’s tariff policies after delivering one of the most shocking political decisions of the 2024 presidential election by refusing to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris. O’Brien, who made history by speaking at the Republican National Convention last summer, explained that Harris refused to sit for a required interview with union leadership in order to receive the endorsement.

“On the fourth question, one of her operatives or one of her staff slips a note in front of me — ‘This will be the last question.’ And it was 20 minutes earlier than the time it was going to end,” O’Brien said during a discussion with Tucker Carlson back in December. “And her declaration on the way out was, ‘I’m going to win with you or without you.”