Teamsters Boss Sean O'Brien Backs GOP Sen. Ashley Moody for Reelection

Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien endorsed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody of Florida on Sunday, announcing he had already voted for her. "Just voted in the State of Florida for the first time, and very proud to have cast a ballot for Sen. Ashley Moody," O'Brien said.

O'Brien leads the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a 123-year-old union with about 1.3 million members. He credited Moody with working with the union "to protect workers' pensions" and supporting union apprenticeship programs, and said the Teamsters look forward to working with her on the Senate HELP Committee to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act.

Moody said she was proud to have the endorsement and pledged to protect hardworking Americans.

O'Brien calls himself a lifelong Democrat. He spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention after the Democratic Party declined his request to speak at its own. Fox News describes the endorsement as a break from national union sentiment, which has leaned Democratic.

Moody's Democratic opponent, Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville state lawmaker, answered on X with "But ok brother," and thanked rank-and-file Teamsters who she said are voting for her. Critics of O'Brien have called him a "scab" and faulted him for moving to Florida.