The announcement by SEA/SEIU Local 1984 that the union will not be endorsing President Joe Biden’s reelection bid has sent shockwaves through the New Hampshire political scene.
The labor union, which represents over 10,000 public employees in the state, has instead called for a competitive Democratic primary featuring the incumbent as well as Democratic challengers Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In a statement released on Monday, the union said that after careful consideration, they had concluded that their members and New Hampshire voters deserved a competitive primary.
They went on to say that while they respected President Biden’s decades of experience in public service, they believed his record and actions during his first term as president did not merit an automatic re-endorsement.
The union’s decision is a significant blow to Biden’s reelection campaign, as New Hampshire is a key battleground state that could swing the outcome of the election.
It is also a sign that progressive voices within the Democratic Party are becoming increasingly vocal in their criticism of the president’s policies.
Biden and the corporate media establishment have been working to prevent the presidential nominating race from heating up, despite polling that shows three in four Democrats do not want the incumbent to be the party’s nominee.
“Following a robust analysis of the current political landscape, we have come to the conclusion that our members and New Hampshire voters deserve a competitive Democratic Primary,” said the New Hampshire union. “While we respect President Biden’s decades of experience in public service and his commitment to public policy, we believe that his record and actions during his first term as president do not merit an automatic re-endorsement.”
“We eagerly await his return to the Granite State to continue the conversation about his labor priorities, and our door is always open to President Biden,” said the New Hampshire union. “We wholeheartedly believe that it is important for our country to have a leader who is fully committed to labor.”
“We need a President who will champion a significantly higher minimum wage, the PRO Act, Railroad workers’ right to strike, Starbucks workers’ right to organize and truly all working people’s rights to a living wage,” said the New Hampshire union, which expressed solidarity with Starbucks Workers United, which is organizing underpaid coffee shop employees, and Railroad Workers United, an inter-union, cross-craft solidarity “caucus” of railroad workers from all crafts, all carriers, and all unions across North America.
“As an organization committed to the voters in the state of New Hampshire, we believe that we have a responsibility to stand up for what we believe in, especially when it comes to our endorsement,” said the New Hampshire union. “We recognize that our decision may not be shared by all of our members and supporters, but we hope that they will understand that we are acting in the best interests of our union, our community and our country.”
“We will continue to monitor the political landscape and engage in discussions with other candidates who share our values and vision for the future. We encourage all our members to exercise their right to vote and to support candidates who reflect their values and beliefs,” said the New Hampshire union.
Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are Democrats who say that Biden does not deserve the party’s nomination.