By Rachel Engel
During last night’s Democratic debate, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) posted a series of tweets reaffirming their endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden and the reasoning behind the choice.
“We’re #TeamJoe because @JoeBiden always been a strong advocate for the Public Safety Officers Benefit program to help fallen #firefighters families. #IACaucus,” one tweet read.
https://twitter.com/IAFFNewsDesk/status/1217288776915083264 https://twitter.com/IAFFNewsDesk/status/1217275284929548290
The IAFF announced their endorsement of Biden in April, drawing both praise and criticism from their members and others across the fire service. After the initial announcement, General President Harold Schaitberger said he expected pushback.
“I am forced to reinforce this,” he said in a May interview. “We are a very politically diverse union. We have Republicans, conservatives, progressives, independents and, in that way, we are kind of a perfect reflection of the landscape in the country. Whatever political decisions we have made, past or present, there will be a section of our membership that will not agree with that decision. We celebrate that, I understand that.”
While Biden leads the Democratic primary in national polls, results from a Des Moines Register/Mediacom/CNN poll show Biden in fourth place at 15%, behind Sen. Bernie Sanders with 20%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 17% and Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 16%.