A closer look at the USW endorsement process

While it may seem like we are far in advance of the 2024 election, the leading presidential candidates have either formally launched their campaigns or announced exploratory committees to test the waters. 

That means we need to start our process as well. 

We wanted to take this opportunity to revisit our union’s federal endorsement process in an effort to be as transparent as possible with our members, retirees and families. 

While there is no standard for how American voters determine who they choose to support, our union has a responsibility to evaluate candidates based on how closely they share our values as union members. To start with, if a candidate is anti-union, they won’t get our support. It’s that simple. 

We look at the core issues we fight for during negotiations and in our workplaces: health care, retirement security, collective bargaining rights, workplace health and safety, job security including trade policy, and factors that impact our domestic economy. 

These are the same issues members and retirees prioritized in our national Your Union, Your Voice surveys from 2020 and 2022. 

Much like our efforts negotiating contracts, our union’s work around elections is grounded in our commitment to get the best possible outcome for Steelworkers and our families. 

In order to make our assessment, we have a rigorous and thorough process to look at candidates’ backgrounds and voting records, and we often meet with them. For federal candidates, we also require their response to a lengthy questionnaire developed by the union and focused on our core issues. 

Just like we did for elections in 2020 and 2022, we’ve already updated our questionnaire for next year’s federal elections and made it available for review at www.uswvoices.org. 

That questionnaire has been given to the following individuals who have either formally announced their candidacies for president or are soon expected to announce. 

(Appearing alphabetically by last name) 

  • Biden, Joseph (Democrat) 
  • Castro, John (Republican) 
  • DeSantis, Ron (Republican) 
  • Haley, Nikki (Republican) 
  • Hutchinson, Asa (Republican) 
  • Kennedy, Robert (Democrat) 
  • Scott, Tim (Republican) 
  • Trump, Donald (Republican) 
  • Williamson, Marianne (Democrat) 

Because the decisions lawmakers make have a direct impact on our members and families, along with all workers, we take our union’s endorsement process very seriously. 

As we move forward, we will keep you informed. 

We recognize how you vote is a personal decision, and we hope that our union’s research and recommendations of which candidates best share our union values are helpful as you make the very important decision of who to support on Election Day.

Press Inquiries

Media Contacts

Communications Director:
Jess Kamm at 412-562-2446

USW@WORK (USW magazine)
Editor R.J. Hufnagel

For industry specific inquiries,
Call USW Communications at 412-562-2442

Mailing Address

United Steelworkers
Communications Department
60 Blvd. of the Allies
Pittsburgh, PA 15222