AFT backs Biden for reelection in latest union endorsement

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second-largest teacher’s union in the country, endorsed President Biden and Vice President Harris for reelection Friday in another show of organized labor strength for the president.

The AFT offered its endorsement of Biden on the same day the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest federation of unions in the country, did the same, reflecting a broader strategy to show support for Biden among organized labor. 

AFT’s resolution cited attacks on freedoms through book bans, efforts to restrict collective bargaining, support for lax gun laws despite school shootings and state-level laws like the one in Florida that bar discussion of gender and sexual identity in grade school.

The resolution argues that “because of these attacks, now, more than ever, we need elected leaders who share our values,” and that Biden and Harris “have a profound understanding of the issues facing working families and have demonstrated an impassioned commitment to addressing those issues and using government to help make people’s lives better.”

AFT reached out to hundreds of thousands of its 1.7 million members to seek input on whether to endorse Biden and Harris as part of a unified effort among organized labor, and the group said 92 percent of Democratic members supported a move to endorse Biden in the Democratic primary.

Biden is not facing a serious challenge within the party, but author Marianne Williamson has entered the race, and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also announced a challenge. Kennedy Jr. is polling in double digits in multiple surveys, thanks in large part to strong name identification, while Williamson is polling in single digits.

Support for Biden and Harris from a major teachers union is not entirely surprising, given first lady Jill Biden is a teacher and a member of the National Education Association. 

Biden has touted himself as the most pro-union president in history, speaking frequently at union halls about his policies and advocating for collective bargaining. He has already racked up endorsements for 2024 from the AFL-CIO and a major construction union.

But the AFT endorsement is sure to rile up some Republicans, who have turned the group and its leader, Randi Weingarten, into a political foil over the restrictions on in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last year described Weingarten as “the most dangerous person in the world,” and claimed teacher’s unions are a threat to the country because of the “filth they’re teaching our kids.”

Education is also emerging as a central issue in the Republican presidential primary. Multiple candidates have voiced opposition to policies that support transgender students who are receiving gender-affirming care, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others have been at the center of debates about book bans, and persistent mass shootings at schools have led to GOP candidates calling for enhanced security without pushing for tougher gun laws.