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Teamsters are backing some Republicans in the midterms

Teamsters are backing some Republicans in the midterms

Politico3 days ago
But the GOP donations signify a marked shift in the pivotal labor union's strategy since 2024, when Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien delivered a historic address at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and his outfit began more seriously supporting Republicans.
It comes as O'Brien has sought to reach out beyond the union's traditional audience — and union members themselves are more open to backing Republicans. He recently hosted Ramaswamy on his podcast, and sat with The Free Press for an interview with Bari Weiss.
And it's a warning sign for Democrats that their labor support — long a keystone of their base — continues to erode, as President Donald Trump chisels away at it in his effort to remake the GOP as a working-class party.
'Labor unions are finally recognizing the fact that their memberships are made up of workers from across the political spectrum,' said Bresnahan, who received $5,000 from the Teamsters and whose grandfather was a member of the IBEW.
Last year, the Teamsters donated $25,000 to the NRCC and gave $45,000 to the RNC in an effort to diversify their support as their rank-and-file members move rightward.
'Hard-working men and women across the country are rallying behind Republicans up and down the ballot because we fight for their jobs, their families, and their future,' said NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella. 'Democrats have abandoned them for their deeply out of touch, radical policies. We're bringing these voters home, and they will be key in growing our House majority.'
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Democrats in Bryan County hope to sway residents to vote blue as election cycle ramps up
Democrats in Bryan County hope to sway residents to vote blue as election cycle ramps up

Yahoo

time24 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Democrats in Bryan County hope to sway residents to vote blue as election cycle ramps up

Democrats in Bryan County are looking to garner support and bolster nominees that can spearhead more blue votes at the local level and beyond. In Richmond Hill, qualifying for mayor begins Aug. 18. The governor's race is heating up too as there are candidates who have announced their bid and have kicked off their respective campaign for the general election in May 2026. According to a voting map on Bryan County is predominantly red. Despite an area that has strong Republican backing, residents like Corey Foreman, president of the Bryan County Democratic Committee, want to change that. 'There is more hope in Bryan County than most people realize — and when we come together with purpose, things can change faster than anyone expects,' said Foreman. 'The numbers don't lie. Even if you think this is a county that cannot be flipped, I promise you, it's not. The potential here is real — and growing.' At the heart of the matter is concern regarding the Republican stronghold not only in the county but in the state. Foreman said affordable healthcare and the cost of living are top of mind. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr, Lt. Governor Burt Jones are also Republicans. According to Ballotpedia, Republicans make up 55% of Georgia lawmakers, including Ron Stephens, Jesse Petrea and Lehman Franklin, who all serve portions of Bryan County. Foreman said there is a place in the Democratic Party for those who may not see eye-to-eye on every topic. However, he feels strongly that issues such as reproductive rights and access to affordable health care are at the forefront of the party's concerns and issues Foreman says are controlled by the GOP. 'The Democratic Party needs action and to show the commitment of the true policy that we want to change for the people,' said Foreman. 'There is a little bit of fear - some Democrats aren't as bold and outspoken as others. I don't want to keep talking about the issues in Georgia and then hoping that the Republican control fixes it. I want the Democratic Party to step up and be the change.'In 2021, Bryan County was named the fastest growing county in the state, according to U.S. Census data. With its growing population comes opportunities for Governor Gubernatorial Candidate and Democratic Senator Jason Esteves to flip red voters blue. Foreman was recently appointed to President of the BCDC and since then, he has been working diligently to ensure residents feel the presence of Democrats in their community. He spoke before a large crowd at a rally last month protesting Trump's Big Beautiful Bill and has attended a handful of other rallies. The party also hosted a community Q&A earlier this month with leaders from around the reigon, including Alderman Kurtis Purtee of Savannah and Commissioner Justin Frazier of Liberty County. Democratic gubernatorial and Senator Jason Esteves visited Savannah Aug. 3 as part of his campaign tour but said he plans to come back to South Georgia to talk to voters in Bryan County at a later date. Esteves said the goal is not necessarily to turn the entire county blue, but to earn some of the republican votes, even if it is a small percentage. 'Does it mean that we win the county? No, but have we made progress and does that mean we have a Democrat as governor? Yes, and that's the kind of progress that we're going to be making not only in Bryan County but across the state," said Esteves. But it's a tall order in a state led by sitting Gov. Brian Kemp that swung back to red in the 2024 presidential election and in a country with a Republican-majority House and Senate. Esteves said one of his primary goals is to highlight issues within the economy, such as a lack of affordable housing or the need to provide capital for entrepreneurs to start their own business. 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'It was former President Barak Obama who said we need to stop looking for Messiahs, we need to stop looking for someone to save us,' said Esteves. 'We have to do the hard work to save ourselves. No one is coming to save us in this state. We're not going to celebrity our way to victory - it's nothing but hard work and meeting voters where they are." Foreman said he is seeing an increase in membership numbers in the Bryan County Democratic Committee not only from newcomers to the area but from the existing Democratic base in the county. 'On the statewide issues, they are realizing that these issues are all the same,' said Foreman. 'I feel like people are open to new leadership and new conversations. The base of Democrats in Bryan County, they are growing. They're not the loudest but they're present and they're starting to get louder.' Foreman is calling on his community to get involved at the local level. 'Richmond Hill municipal qualifying is coming up in August and we need people ready to step forward and run,' said Foreman. 'If you've ever considered being that voice for change — this is the moment. I want you to be involved. I need you to be involved.' Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@ Jillian Magtoto contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Corey Foreman and Jason Esteves talk politics among democratic party Solve the daily Crossword

As Canada wildfires choke US with smoke, Republicans demand action. But not on climate change

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As Canada wildfires choke US with smoke, Republicans demand action. But not on climate change

The sternly worded statements and letters are filled with indignation and outrage: Republican U.S. lawmakers say Canada has done too little to contain wildfires and smoke that have fouled the air in several states this summer. 'Instead of enjoying family vacations at Michigan's beautiful lakes and campgrounds, for the third summer in a row, Michiganders are forced to breathe hazardous air as a result of Canada's failure to prevent and control wildfires,' read a statement last week from the state's GOP congressional delegation, echoing similar missives from Republicans in Iowa, New York, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. They've demanded more forest thinning, prescribed burns and other measures to prevent fires from starting. They've warned the smoke is hurting relations between the countries and suggested the U.S. could make it an issue in tariff talks. But what they haven't done is acknowledge the role of climate change — a glaring and shortsighted omission, according to climate scientists. It also ignores the outsized U.S. contribution to heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels like coal and gas that cause more intense heat waves and droughts, which in turn set the stage for more destructive wildfires, scientists say. 'If anything, Canada should be blaming the U.S. for their increased fires,' said Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On Tuesday, the Canadian government announced almost $46 million in funding for wildfire prevention and risk assessment research projects. But Corey Hogan, parliamentary secretary to the federal energy and natural resources minister, said international cooperation is needed. 'There's no people that want to do more about wildfires than Canadians,' Hogan said. 'But I think this also underlines the international challenges that are brought on by climate change ... we need to globally tackle this problem.' The country has 'been fighting wildfires in this country at unprecedented rates since 2023,' when Canada saw its largest wildfire on record, said Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. This year's first fire started in April, one of the earliest on record, and 2025 is now the second-worst year. As of Thursday, more than 700 wildfires were burning across the country, two-thirds of them out of control, with more than 28,000 square miles (72,520 square kilometers) burned in 4,400 wildfires so far this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. That's almost five times the surface area that's burned so far in the U.S. this year. Most wildfires are started by people, sometimes on purpose but mostly by mistake, though McMullen said lightning is the culprit in many of Canada's fires, especially in remote areas. McMullen said he has no interest in debating the role of climate change, but data show that something has changed. Sloughs and basins have dried up and water that once lapped at people's back doors in Canada's lake communities now is often hundreds of feet away. 'People can make up their own mind as to why that is,' he said. 'But something clearly has changed.' President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax — a belief echoed by many in the GOP — and his administration has worked to dismantle and defund federal climate science and data collection, with little to no pushback from Republicans in Congress. He's proposed to revoke the scientific finding that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare — the central basis for U.S. climate change action. He's declared a national energy emergency to expedite fossil fuel development, canceled grants for renewable energy projects and ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, aimed at limiting long-term global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above preindustrial levels. The Associated Press reached out to more than half a dozen Republicans who criticized Canada but none returned phone calls or emails. Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine said the wildfires are jeopardizing health and air quality in her state, too, but faulted Republicans for failing to meet the crisis head on — beginning by acknowledging climate change. 'Rather than accept this reality and work together to find proactive, common-sense solutions for preventing and mitigating these fires, Republicans are burying their heads in the sand,' she said. Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore, a Democrat, criticized her Republican colleagues' letter to Canada's U.S. ambassador, saying those 'who are in denial about climate change shouldn't be writing letters prescribing people's actions to try to contain it.' McMullen, the Canadian wildfire expert, said battling the fires isn't as simple as many seem to believe. The country and its territories are vast and fires are often in remote areas where the best — and sometimes only — course of action if there are no residents or structures is to let them burn or 'it is going to just create another situation for us to deal with in a year or two or 10 or 20 years from now,' McMullen said. Prescribed burns to clear underbrush and other ignition sources are used in some areas, but aren't practical or possible in some forests and prairies that are burning, experts said. McMullen has advocated for a Canadian forest fire coordination agency to help deploy firefighters and equipment where they're needed. 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Labor dispute affecting Columbus fire protection
Labor dispute affecting Columbus fire protection

Yahoo

time37 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Labor dispute affecting Columbus fire protection

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A main Columbus fire truck supplier is facing a labor dispute and it's impacting the city's fire truck shortage. Columbus City Council canceled a nearly $3 million contract with the company after it could not fulfill its request. For the past 11 weeks, union employees at Sutphen, a Dublin-based fire apparatus manufacturer, have been on strike. Now, the company has lost a contract with Columbus because it could not commit to delivering a truck in 14 months. More bed bugs found at Ohio EPA offices 'I wasn't planning on this happening,' Sutphen employee and Teamsters Member Corwin Shreve said. 'We haven't had a raise since 2023,' Teamsters Union Steward Josh Shreve said. 'This is our 11th week being out here, but we've worked eight months and a half without a contract until going on strike,' Teamsters Union Steward Jerry Becker said. Sutphen has brought in non-union employees from other locations to work in Dublin. 'I'm really disappointed that when I first started here, they talked about how we were a family and there, for a while, I mean, I kind of bought into — not so much now,' Sutphen Employee and Teamsters member Jordan Fowler said. The city of Columbus frequently purchases fire apparatus from Sutphen, but when the strike did not end and Sutphen said it could no longer fulfill the order in the city's 14-month timeframe, Columbus bought a truck from another company. Ohio island retreat on market for $1.59 million, offers secluded paradise 'Our firefighters cannot afford to wait,' Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said. 'This decision is not about contracts or companies. It's about keeping our promise to the people of Columbus.' A Sutphen spokesperson sent the following statement: 'As we have stated previously, Sutphen continues to negotiate in good faith. We have offered numerous proposals designed to deliver intentional and meaningful improvements in wages, benefits, and flexibility for our team members. 'These proposals include, among other benefits, paying 92 percent of team member health insurance premiums, offering the largest increase in base pay in the history of the Sutphen and Teamsters partnership, and providing team members the opportunity to earn additional compensation based on performance. 'At Sutphen, our mission remains building the safest, most reliable fire apparatus in the world. While we remain committed to negotiating in good faith and prioritizing team members across our family-owned business, we continue to build fire apparatus at all of our facilities, including our Dublin location.' The union disagrees, with the general president of the union even coming out to join the line. Former Ohio State QB Art Schlichter not in court on drug charge after hospitalization 'This is just a pure example of corporate greed,' International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said. 'It's important for our members to know that they have the backing of the 1.3 million members nationwide.' 'We just want a contract,' Josh Shreve said. 'We want to go back to doing what we do best.' NBC4 also asked Sutphen about losing the contract with Columbus, but the company did not answer that question. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword

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