UAW Endorses Joe Biden for President: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday endorsed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, snubbing President Donald Trump who won significant support among the union’s members in 2016.

The endorsement came a day after the union backed Biden’s plan for reopening the economy, which UAW President Rory Gamble called a “nonpartisan, science-based approach.”

“In these dangerous and difficult times, the country needs a president who will demonstrate clear, stable leadership, less partisan acrimony and more balance to the rights and protections of working Americans,” Gamble said in a statement. “UAW members ultimately want a voice. And Joe Biden is committed to giving UAW members that voice at the table.”

Biden has courted the UAW, including joining striking General Motors Co. workers on the picket line in Kansas City in September. As vice president under President Barack Obama, Biden helped lead the federal bailout and bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler.

Biden has already received the endorsement of several major labor groups, including the largest public-sector union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Polls Show Trump Losing Showdown With Governors (11:43 a.m.)

President Donald Trump has set up a showdown with Democratic governors over coronavirus in recent weeks, blaming them for poor handling and encouraging protests against state lockdowns.

But polls show that Trump is coming out worse in the face-to-face fight.

A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released Tuesday showed that only 44% said that Trump was doing a good or excellent job responding to the coronavirus outbreak, while 72% said their state’s governor was doing well.

Respondents also gave slightly higher marks to the federal government -- with 49% saying it was doing good or excellent -- and much higher marks to their employers -- with 87% saying they were doing well.

The poll of 1,013 adults around the country was conducted April 14-19. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. -- Ryan Teague Beckwith

Coming up:

Puerto Rico’s primary is tentatively rescheduled for April 26. Ohio will hold an absentee-only primary on April 28. Both Guam and Kansas have in-person voting scheduled for May 2.

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