Republicans have taken a more favorable view of labor unions in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped the party from attacking unionized teachers at the recent GOP presidential debate, with one candidate vowing to “break the back” of the teachers’ unions.
In the most recent results of the Gallup Social Series published ahead of Labor Day, support for unions is highest among Democrats and lowest among Republicans. Support among Republicans was 47 percent, down from 56 percent in the same poll a year ago but broadly on an upward trajectory since 2009, when it stood at 29 percent.
The Republican Party has sought to recalibrate its brand in the Donald Trump era, courting working class voters and even making a play for union endorsements. Earlier this summer, Trump released a video asking the United Auto Workers for its support. (The union has yet to publicly back a candidate, but it endorsed Joe Biden in 2020.)
