Republican pollster Frank Luntz, a critic of former President Donald Trump, indicated that Trump is gaining significant support from blue-collar union workers who feel increasingly disconnected from their liberal leadership.
During a CNN discussion, Luntz noted unprecedented animosity between union leaders and their members, with many union members expressing that the leadership does not represent their interests.
Trump has fostered support among various trades, citing that he is performing better with union workers than any Republican in decades.
“I assure you that Donald Trump is doing better among the average union member – not teachers unions and not the unions for government, but everybody else – trades, people working with their hands. He’s doing better among them than any Republican has done in decades. This is not gonna be a problem for him. The union leadership is more divided from their membership, and the louder it is the greater the divides are gonna come,” Luntz said.
“And in my focus groups, and this is remarkable to me, the union membership says ‘They don’t speak for me.’”
“I’ve been in this now since, and I hate to say this, 1989, 1990. I’ve never had union people publicly say ‘they don’t speak for me,’” he said.
His relationships with union leaders, such as Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, have created tensions within traditional Democratic voting patterns. Luntz highlighted that union members are vocalizing their discontent, which is a notable shift in polling over his 30-year career.
“In the past, we are basically Democrats, all of us. And after what’s happened the last 4 years in this country, Democrats are basically pushing everybody to the other side,” Steamfitters Local 638 president Bobby Bartels said. “We are a very patriotic group and we love our country and we want the best for America. We are tired of immigration, we are tired of our tax dollars going to immigration, we are tired of the crime, we need to put a handle back on things in this country.”
As Trump continues to engage with union crowds, he has increasingly drawn support from groups that historically leaned Democratic, reflecting a possible realignment in union politics.
