A labor union is throwing its support behind Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) in his reelection bid, a political win for the lawmaker and a blow to his Democratic opponent.
The Ohio Conference of Teamsters, which represents over 50,000 members in the region, announced their support for Portman on Monday.
“When it comes to hardworking Ohio families, Rob Portman has our back,” said Pat Darrow, president of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters. “Rob is fighting for middle-class jobs and higher wages for the people of Ohio, and he has fought with us to protect our pensions. We look forward to supporting Rob and continuing to work with him in the U.S. Senate.”
{mosads}The endorsement is particularly notable since the group previously backed Portman’s challenger, Ted Strickland, in his gubernatorial runs and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) for U.S. Senate.
Portman is facing the toughest reelection of his career, and the Ohio race is one of the most watched — and most expensive — Senate fights in the country.
The Teamsters touted Portman’s bill to revise rules governing pension cuts, efforts to protect Teamsters’ pensions and his concerns about the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Portman has also been endorsed by the United Mine Workers of America — a rare endorsement of a Senate Republican candidate from the union.
“I’m honored to have the support of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters and I will continue to fight for Ohio workers in the U.S. Senate,” Portman said in a statement. “I’m proud to have these hard-working Ohioans on our team. We’ve worked to protect Ohio jobs and stop retirees from facing pension cuts as large as 70 percent due to no fault of their own.”