WASHINGTON: Senior officials stated on Friday that Vice President Kamala Harris is having difficulty securing the support of male volunteers in some labor unions with the US election four days away. These male volunteers are required to make house calls and get Democratic supporters to vote.
The majority of unions have long backed Democratic candidates, and both Harris and President Joe Biden have defended workers’ rights and supported unions in contract negotiations.
However, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, has made inroads with union workers in recent years, and any decrease in Harris’ support could make a difference in the tight race.
Sexism and racism have been viewed as obstacles to Harris’s victory, as she would become the first female and second African-American president of the United States.
According to Liz Shuler, president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO, there is widespread support for Harris, but sexism may be undermining it in some unions.
She stated, “Let’s be honest, there are people who, at face value, dismiss a female candidate because, you know, she’s perceived as not being presidential.” That is the only way Donald Trump is questioned.
Finding these men at home can be a test and the AFL-CIO is resolving the issue rather by visiting men at their places of work, where chances of a discussion to address their interests are a lot higher, she said.
