Sen. Bernie Sanders is seeking the support of top labor leaders as he ramps up a campaign for the Labor secretary post in President-elect Joe Biden's administration.[1][2]
A longtime senior labor leader told CNN on Tuesday that Sanders has personally called union chiefs asking for their backing, but that his overtures have been met with mixed reactions.
Sanders’ push comes following intensified jockeying over the powerful cabinet position from inside the labor movement. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who is among those Sanders has contacted, is believed to favor Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for the job, the senior labor leader said, while Michigan Rep. Andy Levin also has a base of support among union leadership, including the Communications Workers of America.
Those divisions, mostly quiet as labor leaders have considered their options, are now poised to spill out into the public.
The Vermont senator’s interest in the position was first reported by Politico in October. Sanders’ team has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
The Biden transition team was not immediately available to weigh in.
In public statements and in an interview with CNN before the election, Sanders spoke about his desire to lead a push form inside the Senate to send an ambitious suite of progressive legislation to Biden’s desk. But those plans may have been complicated by the uncertainty surrounding control of the body, after a disappointing election night for Democratic Senate challengers. The caucus will likely need to win both of the January run-off contests in Georgia now to gain a majority.
References
- ^ as he ramps up a campaign (www.cnn.com)
- ^ n President-elect Joe Biden's administration. (www.cnn.com)
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